TikTok, DOJ Reach $400M Children’s Privacy Settlement

TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have agreed to a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve allegations that the popular short-video platform violated federal children's privacy laws. The agreement, announced on Friday, August 21, 2026, settles a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department in 2024 that accused the companies of unlawful data collection from minors and failing to comply with a prior federal order.

The settlement resolves charges that TikTok violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a federal law requiring platforms directed at children to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from users under 13. According to court filings, the government alleged that TikTok knowingly allowed children under 13 to create accounts and improperly collected their data, including in a designated "Kids Mode." The lawsuit further claimed the company failed to honor parental requests to delete their children's information.

The agreement is one of the largest recoveries ever obtained in a COPPA case. Under the terms, TikTok will pay $300 million immediately, with an additional $100 million due once a...