TikTok and ByteDance Reach $400M DOJ Settlement Over COPPA Children's Privacy Suit

TikTok and ByteDance agreed to pay $400M to settle a 2024 DOJ lawsuit alleging they let millions of under-13 users onto the platform and collected their data without parental consent in violation of COPPA. $300M is due immediately with another $100M once a prior Musical.ly consent decree is vacated. The deal requires stronger age gates and parental controls but no admission of wrongdoing, and is one of the largest COPPA recoveries ever.