TikTok to Pay Alabama at Least $100M in Settlement

TikTok has agreed to pay Alabama at least $100 million to settle claims tied to the safety of minors. Prosecutors alleged that the short-form video platform misled users about how safe it was and was engineered to make children addicted to it. The case had been set to go to trial on Monday.

According to the Alabama attorney general's office, the total could climb to $300 million, depending on "certain conditions" that were not spelled out in detail.

More than money

The agreement also imposes practical limits. For underage users, TikTok will introduce a two-hour daily time cap, add parental controls, and place restrictions on overnight use and on cosmetic filters that alter appearance.

Attorney General Steve Marshall said parents in his state can now "rest easier knowing real protections are in place to shield their children from the dangers of social media addiction." TikTok, for its part, said the settlement "builds on our commitment and core objective to continually enhance our robust safety tools to protect teens."

It is not the company's only major settlement of late. In August, TikTok reached a $400 million agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations that the platform violated child privacy laws.

Source: TechCrunch