United States v. ByteDance Ltd., No. 2:24-cv-06535 (C.D. Cal.), is a civil enforcement action brought by the Department of Justice on referral from the Federal Trade Commission, alleging that TikTok, ByteDance and affiliated entities failed to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and its implementing rule. The Department announced a $400 million settlement on August 21, 2026 (Source: justice.gov).
Background
COPPA requires operators of online services directed to children under 13, or with actual knowledge that they are collecting information from such children, to give notice to parents and obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information, and to honour parental requests to delete it. The FTC referred the matter to the Justice Department, which filed the complaint on August 2, 2024 in the Central District of California (Source: dockets.justia.com).
A prior consent decree had been entered against TikTok's predecessor service, Musical.ly (Source: justice.gov).
Claims
The complaint alleged that TikTok is directed to children under 13; that it permitted children to evade its age gate; that it collected data from children without first notifying parents and obtaining verifiable parental consent; that it failed to honour parents' requests to delete their children's accounts and information; and that it failed to delete the accounts and information of users the company knew to be children. It further alleged that the platform's "Kids Mode" did not comply with COPPA and that profiles were amassed on Kids Mode users. The United States sought civil penalties of up to $51,744 per violation per day from January 10, 2024, together with permanent injunctive relief (Source: justice.gov).
Settlement
Under the settlement announced August 21, 2026, TikTok is to pay $300 million immediately and a further $100 million upon entry of an order vacating the prior Musical.ly consent decree. The Department described the total as "one of the largest recoveries ever obtained in a COPPA case." Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. called it "a major victory for American children and parents," and Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Civil Division said it "secures a significant monetary recovery and reflects the Department's commitment to ensuring children receive the full protections that Congress mandated."
The Department stated that since the 2024 filing "TikTok has undergone significant changes to its ownership, management, compliance functions, and privacy practices," including measures to strengthen safeguards for younger users, age-related controls and parental oversight, and said the resolution avoided "the delay and uncertainty of protracted litigation." The claims resolved are allegations only, with no determination of liability. The matter was handled by the Civil Division's Enforcement and Affirmative Litigation Branch (press release 26-957) (Source: justice.gov).
Relationships
- instance-of: Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) — a federal enforcement action under the statute.
- related: ByteDance / Doubao — ByteDance is the parent defendant.
- related: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) — referred the matter to the Justice Department.
- related: AI and Children — part of the US enforcement record on minors' data on recommendation-driven platforms.
- related: In re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3047) — separate multidistrict litigation involving TikTok and other platforms over minors' use.