TikTok has agreed to pay US$400 million (about RM1.69 billion) to settle a lawsuit brought by the United States government over alleged violations of children’s online privacy laws.
The US Department of Justice said TikTok would pay US$300 million, with a further US$100 million following the vacating of an earlier court order involving Musical.ly, the platform’s predecessor.
AFP cited on Saturday that the lawsuit, filed by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission in 2024, alleged that TikTok collected and used personal information belonging to children under 13 without obtaining the required parental consent.
The allegations included the collection of email addresses and other personal information through the platform’s “Kids Mode”, a feature designed for younger users.
The case centred on alleged violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a US law that restricts websites and online services from collecting personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent.
The US$400 million settlement ranks among the largest amounts secured by the US government in an enforcement action involving COPPA.
The case underscores growing scrutiny of how social media platforms collect, process and protect children’s personal information, particularly as regulators step up efforts to strengthen online safety and privacy safeguards for young users. - August 22, 2026
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