TikTok agrees to $100mn Alabama teen safety deal

TikTok agreed Friday to pay Alabama at least $100 million and introduce new restrictions for teen users, avoiding a trial over the state's claims that the company misled parents about child safety tools.

The trial had been set to begin Monday in Alabama. The state had accused TikTok of misrepresenting tools meant to protect children from harmful content.

Under the settlement, TikTok will pay Alabama $100 million and could pay up to $300 million in total if other states accept similar agreements.

The agreement includes a two-hour daily time limit for teens, restricted access from midnight to 6:00 am and suspended notifications during school hours. TikTok will also strengthen age verification, ban beauty filters for teenagers and offer young users a non-personalized content feed.

The settlement also includes a conditional restriction that would expand the nighttime shutdown period to 10:00 pm to 7:00 am if other platforms agree to do the same.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall called the settlement “a great day for Alabama parents” and said it put “real protections” in place.

A TikTok spokesperson said the company's priority was “fostering a safe and positive space” and said the agreement built on its commitment to teen safety tools.

Alabama sued TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance in April 2025. The state later narrowed the case to claims under Alabama's Deceptive Trade Practices Act, focusing on whether TikTok misrepresented features such as Restricted Mode and Kids Mode.

More than a dozen other states, including California and New York, still have active suits against TikTok. The settlement follows a wave of US litigation over alleged harm caused to young social media users.

Meta agreed in August to pay $18 billion to settle a lawsuit brought by US states accusing it of designing Instagram and Facebook to get children addicted. TikTok's Alabama settlement mirrors some safety provisions agreed by Meta.