Texas Judge Finds TikTok Liable for Misleading Parents on Child Safety

A Texas judge has ruled that TikTok violated state consumer protection laws by misleading parents about the effectiveness of its child safety features, marking the first time a court has found the platform liable for such deception. District Judge Cory Liu issued the decision on Thursday, September 11, 2026, finding that TikTok intentionally misled the public about its safety standards in a ruling based on summary judgment, meaning the judge determined liability without a jury trial. The case, brought by the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in January 2025, centered on two legal tracks: the Texas SCOPE Act, which governs children's online platforms, and the state's general consumer protection statute. The court found that TikTok's "Restricted Mode," promoted as a setting to filter out graphic material involving drugs, alcohol, nudity, and violence, did not function as advertised, leaving minors exposed to such content. Prosecutors demonstrated that TikTok internally categorized rule-breaking content as "hard to find" rather than "do not allow," a policy that allowed the material to remain accessible on the platform, just less visible.