TikTok has reached a settlement agreement with the state of Alabama, committing to pay a minimum of $100 million to resolve claims that the platform was intentionally engineered to foster social media addiction among minors. The resolution avoids a trial scheduled for the following week and marks the first time TikTok has settled a social media addiction lawsuit with any state.
Alabama initiated legal proceedings against the app and its parent company, Chinese firm ByteDance, last year. This case is part of a broader wave of litigation; more than a dozen other states filed similar suits against TikTok in 2024, alleging the platform deliberately targeted younger users to maximize engagement.
Beyond the financial penalty, the settlement requires TikTok to adopt specific safety protocols akin to those agreed upon by Meta, which settled comparable complaints from 47 states for $18 billion. Under the new terms, the app must enforce a two-hour daily usage limit for users under the age of 18. Parents will also be granted enhanced controls to reduce this timeframe further.
Additional restrictions include limiting overnight access and prohibiting infinite scrolling. The platform will also remove beauty filters for younger accounts and introduce a non-personalized content feed. If TikTok fails to comply with these measures, the company faces potential penalties totaling up to $300 million.
This agreement follows a separate $400 million settlement TikTok reached with the Department of Justice in August, which accused the app of violating children’s privacy laws. At that time, the DOJ acknowledged significant policy shifts and changes in ownership since the initial complaint was filed, including TikTok’s establishment of a U.S.-based entity in January to transfer control to non-Chinese investors.
Does this precedent mean other states can sue too? This could get expensive for every major social platform.
Interesting that they removed beauty filters. My niece would never use the app without them, lol.
One hundred million sounds like a lot, but isn’t that pocket change for ByteDance? Hope this actually changes behavior.
Finally, some accountability. That two-hour limit is a start, but I wonder if teens will just find workarounds.