TikTok agrees $400m US settlement over child‑privacy violations

TikTok has agreed to a $400 million settlement with U.S. authorities over allegations that it collected personal data from children without parental permission.

The deal requires the app to pay $300 million immediately, with a further $100 million due once a court vacates a prior consent decree that targeted its predecessor, Musical.ly. The settlement was announced by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.

Under the settlement, TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and an additional $100 million upon entry of an order vacating a prior consent decree entered against TikTok's predecessor, Musical.ly.

The case centres on violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which bars websites from gathering information from users under 13 without explicit parental consent. Regulators said the platform’s “Kids Mode” still collected email addresses and other identifiers, putting millions of young users at risk.

Regulatory pressure worldwide

American action arrives as the app faces scrutiny across Europe. Brussels opened a probe under the Digital Services Act (DSA), accusing the platform of insufficient safeguards for minors. The European Union warned that default settings must protect children without requiring opt‑in, a stance echoed by EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen.

In the United Kingdom, the communications regulator Ofcom launched its own investigation into TikTok’s age‑verification model and the adequacy of its content‑filtering measures.

What lies ahead

Beyond the immediate payout, TikTok will likely need to overhaul its privacy architecture to satisfy both U.S. and European demands. Failure to comply could invite further fines or even bans in key markets. The settlement also underscores the broader trend of governments tightening digital‑privacy rules, a development that could reshape how social‑media companies operate globally.