TikTok will pay at least $100 million to Alabama to end child protection proceedings. The agreement also imposes new restrictions on teenagers, including a two-hour daily limit and a nightly lockout.
Alabama initiated proceedings in 2025, accusing TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, of having designed the social network to promote child addiction and of having misled users about its protective features. The trial was scheduled for today, Monday, September 28, and would have been the first lawsuit filed by a US state against TikTok on these charges.
the regulations foresees an initial payment of 100 million dollars within 45 days. The sum can reach $300 million if certain conditions are met, in particular if a sufficient number of other States sign agreements that meet the expected criteria.
TikTok will also have to change several aspects of its social network for Alabama teens. In particular, the platform will default to a feed of non-personalized content, prohibit cosmetic filters for minors, and strengthen age verification and parental controls.
Strengthened restrictions for teenagers
Minor users will benefit from a usage limit of two hours per day, with the option for parents to reduce this duration further. TikTok will also have to interrupt its use after 15 continuous minutes, then at 60 and 90 minutes, while access will be blocked by default between midnight and 6 in the morning.
The agreement also plans to limit the visibility of adolescent accounts to those of adults and strengthen alerts about certain interactions. TikTok will also have to turn off notifications at night and during school hours, while teen accounts will go into private mode by default.
TikTok says the deal expands its efforts to strengthen safety tools aimed at teens. The move comes weeks after another $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over children’s privacy.
