TikTok settles $400 million children's privacy lawsuit

TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, agreed to a $400 million settlement to resolve litigation regarding alleged violations of a children's online privacy law, the Justice Department announced Friday.

The Biden administration's Justice Department filed the lawsuit against TikTok in 2024, accusing TikTok and ByteDance of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by letting children under 13 create regular accounts, collecting their personal data without parental consent and failing to delete kids' data when requested.

Under the terms, TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and $100 million upon vacating the prior consent decree of Musical.ly, TikTok's predecessor.

The settlement represents one of the largest recoveries obtained in a Children's Online Privacy Protection Act case, according to the Justice Department.

Since the DOJ filed its complaint, TikTok has undergone "significant changes to its ownership, management, compliance functions, and privacy practices," according to the department. The video platform implemented "extensive measures" to strengthen safeguards for younger users, improve age-related controls and enhance parental oversight.

Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of DOJ's Civil Division said the most important result is that children and parents are better protected now.

"This settlement reflects substantial progress, secures a significant monetary recovery, and brings this matter to a successful conclusion," he said in a statement.

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. called the settlement a "major victory" for American children and parents.

"The Department's priority is ensuring that children are protected online and that companies entrusted with their personal information meet their legal obligations," he said in a statement. "This resolution secures a substantial recovery while reinforcing the protections that families expect and deserve."

President Trump delayed and ultimately bypassed a congressionally mandated ban on TikTok by orchestrating the creation of a majority American-owned entity, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, in January.

Congress passed legislation in 2024 requiring ByteDance to divest its U.S. assets or face a nationwide ban, a mandate upheld by the Supreme Court.

Upon taking office, Mr. Trump signed a series of executive orders halting enforcement of the statutory ban, granting extensions as negotiations over a divestiture deal stalled.

Last September, he signed an executive order approving a framework that valued the operations and restructured ownership.

Now the TikTok app can keep running for over 200 million U.S. users while securing data, apps and algorithms on Oracle's cloud system.

By Mary McCue Bell, Saturday, August 22, 2026.