TikTok and its parent company ByteDance will pay Alabama $100m to settle a lawsuit alleging the platform was designed to keep children hooked.
They will also agree to tougher safeguards for young users.
The deal, reached just before trial, introduces a two-hour daily limit for children in Alabama, along with overnight and school-hour restrictions.
But why stop there? The settlement also requires stronger age verification, greater parental controls and limits on how adults can discover children’s accounts.
Katherine Robertson, chief counsel for Alabama’s attorney general, described the measures as “very restrictive injunctive relief”.
They would force TikTok to change policies the state considered harmful to children.
Stricter Rules Ahead
TikTok said its priority remained providing a “safe and positive space” while highlighting its existing safety tools for teenagers.
The company has up to a year to introduce some measures, including age verification.
It could also face another $200m in penalties if it fails to meet the settlement’s conditions.
The case reflects a growing US push to hold social media companies accountable for children’s online experiences.
For families, the bigger question is now simple: can stricter rules make scrolling safer without putting parents entirely in charge of the screen clock?
