TikTok Child Safety: Alabama Settlement Brings $100 Million Payment and New Teen Limits

TikTok Child Safety rules will become stricter in Alabama after the company agreed to pay the state at least $100 million and introduce new limits for teenage users. The settlement avoids a trial that was scheduled to begin next week.

According to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office, the state will get at least $100 million within 45 days of the deal. TikTok might pay up to $300 million if certain terms of the deal are honoured.

The agreement also includes restrictions to limit how long younger users may stay on the platform. TikTok has agreed to a daily two-hour restriction for teen users and would prohibit access for youngsters between midnight and 6 a.m., among other parental and safety measures.

TikTok Child Safety Rules Will Face New Limits

Alabama had prepared to sue TikTok over allegations that the site failed to adequately protect young users. Jury selection was due to begin on Monday, before the settlement was finalised.

Alabama’s action began in April 2025, when it sued TikTok and its Chinese parent firm, ByteDance. The complaint first accused the firm of developing the software to keep young users interested for extended periods of time, likening its system to a sophisticated gambling machine.

Alabama eventually limited the action to claims under the state’s Deceptive Trade Practice Act. The attention switched to whether TikTok provided consumers with proper information concerning safety features like Restricted Mode and Kids Mode.

According to the state’s lawsuit, detectives constructed TikTok accounts posing as 13-, 14-, and 15-year-olds from Alabama. They then enabled Restricted Mode. According to the state, the accounts continued to post films involving suicide, self-harm, eating problems, alcohol, and sex.

Alabama also claimed that TikTok provided app stores the idea that the program was appropriate for minors aged 12 and above and featured just a limited amount of explicit content.

TikTok has already resolved other claims that were about to go to trial, including one filed in Los Angeles by a young lady and another launched by a Kentucky school district.

TikTok Responds as Settlement Avoids Trial

A trial in Alabama may have exposed internal corporate information and management testimony to the public eye. Instead, the settlement resolves the issue without a jury hearing the claims.

TikTok has claimed in court that the Alabama action should be halted and that Section 230, a federal provision that protects web platforms from responsibility for user-posted content, protects the firm from the allegations.

A TikTok spokeswoman stated that the company’s objective has always been to offer a secure and happy environment for its customers. The representative also stated that the settlement builds on TikTok’s previous efforts to strengthen safety tools and safeguard adolescents.

The Alabama case comes as social media companies face an increasing number of lawsuits in the United States alleging harm to adolescent users. Meta, the parent corporation of Facebook and Instagram, has also faced significant legal challenges around kid safety and platform design.

The settlement means that Alabama’s scheduled trial will not proceed, but TikTok must fulfil the additional safety and access conditions included in the deal.