TikTok has agreed to pay Alabama a minimum of $100 million to settle a lawsuit alleging the app was deliberately designed to keep teenagers and children addicted. The settlement, announced just before the case was set for trial, is the first such deal TikTok has reached with a state over social media addiction claims. The company also faces lawsuits from more than a dozen other states filed in 2024 on similar grounds.
As part of the agreement, TikTok will implement safety measures that mirror those Meta adopted in its $18 billion settlement with 47 states. These include a two-hour daily time limit for underage users, expanded parental controls that allow guardians to shorten that limit, restrictions on unlimited scrolling and overnight access, a ban on beauty filters, and a non-personalized content feed for younger users. If TikTok fails to roll out these changes, it could owe up to $300 million.
The Alabama settlement follows an earlier $400 million payment to the Department of Justice in August to resolve a separate lawsuit over children's privacy violations. The company has also restructured its U.S. operations, establishing a domestic entity in January with control placed in the hands of non-Chinese investors. The financial and regulatory pressure highlights the growing scrutiny of social media platforms' impact on minors, though TikTok's broader legal exposure remains unresolved as other state cases continue.```json // Note: The JSON is valid; the comment is for illustration only. // Actual output below is pure JSON. {