TikTok to pay Alabama $100 million and add teen safety limits
TikTok will pay Alabama at least $100 million to settle allegations that it intentionally designed the app to keep minors addicted, avoiding a trial scheduled for next week. The agreement includes a two-hour daily limit for underage users, extra parental controls, restrictions on endless scrolling and overnight access, a beauty-filter ban and a non-personalized feed for younger users. TikTok could owe up to $300 million if it fails to implement the changes, and it remains involved in other state addiction lawsuits plus a prior $400 million DOJ settlement.
Alabama sued TikTok and ByteDance last year, and the case was set for trial next week before this settlement. It marks TikTok’s first state-level resolution over claims that its design fostered minor addiction. Over a dozen other states filed similar suits in 2024.
The required changes resemble those Meta accepted in a 47-state settlement worth $18 billion. TikTok separately paid $400 million to the Justice Department in August over children’s privacy allegations, and earlier this year placed U.S. operations under non-Chinese investors.
The settlement may reshape how younger users experience TikTok, potentially reducing compulsive late-night use and exposure to appearance-altering filters. Parents could gain more oversight, while platforms may face pressure to adopt similar defaults in other cases. Teens might find the app less immersive, though some may migrate to other services. The outcome could influence ongoing addiction litigation and encourage stronger age-specific design standards across social media.