TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have agreed to pay $400 million to resolve a US government lawsuit accusing the companies of violating federal protections governing children’s personal information.
The settlement was announced by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which said TikTok will initially pay $300 million. Another $100 million will become payable when an earlier consent decree involving TikTok’s predecessor, Musical.ly, is vacated. The DOJ described the agreement as one of the largest recoveries obtained under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
The case originated from a lawsuit filed by the DOJ alongside the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in August 2024. Authorities alleged that TikTok knowingly permitted children younger than 13 to create standard accounts while collecting personal information from young users without satisfying requirements established under COPPA.
The government’s allegations also covered TikTok’s “Kids Mode.” According to the complaint, information was unlawfully collected from children using the service. Regulators further accused TikTok and ByteDance of failing to properly respond when parents requested that accounts belonging to their children and associated personal information be deleted.
TikTok challenged those allegations when the lawsuit was filed. The company said at the time that many of the claims concerned previous practices that it considered inaccurate or issues that had already been addressed.
As part of the resolution, the DOJ acknowledged that TikTok has introduced measures intended to strengthen protections for younger users. These include changes involving age controls, safeguards surrounding children’s information, and tools providing parents with greater oversight.
“This settlement is a major victory for American children and parents,” Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said when announcing the agreement. He added that companies entrusted with children’s personal information are expected to comply with their legal obligations.
The US settlement follows previous regulatory action involving TikTok’s handling of children’s data. In 2023, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission imposed a €345 million penalty on the company following an investigation into its processing of children’s personal information under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.
TikTok has also undergone major structural changes in the United States. Earlier in 2026, a US joint venture was established that allowed the platform to continue operating in the country under legislation requiring TikTok’s US operations to address concerns surrounding its ownership.
The latest agreement resolves the federal children’s privacy lawsuit filed in 2024, with TikTok and ByteDance facing a combined settlement payment of $400 million.