The US Department of Justice said Friday that TikTok will pay $400 million to settle a lawsuit over allegations that the company violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA.
The lawsuit, filed in 2024, accused TikTok of collecting personal information from children without notifying their parents or obtaining the required consent and failing to delete children’s accounts when parents asked.
Under the settlement, TikTok will pay $300 million immediately, while the remaining $100 million will be paid “upon entry of an order vacating a prior consent decree” involving TikTok’s predecessor, Musical.ly, according to the Justice Department. The agency described the agreement as one of the largest recoveries ever obtained in a COPPA case.
The Justice Department also said TikTok has made significant changes to its ownership, management, compliance operations and privacy practices since the lawsuit was filed. The company has introduced measures aimed at strengthening protections for younger users, improving age-related controls and giving parents greater oversight.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The settlement comes after TikTok’s US operations moved under a new joint ownership structure in January.
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