TikTok has agreed to pay Alabama at least $100 million and introduce new restrictions for teenage users as part of a settlement that avoids a trial in the US state. The agreement follows similar safety measures recently accepted by Meta for Instagram and Facebook.
A trial between TikTok and Alabama was scheduled to begin Monday. The state had accused TikTok of misleading parents about tools designed to protect children from harmful content.
Under the settlement, TikTok will pay Alabama $100 million. The company could eventually pay up to $300 million if other states accept similar agreements.
Alabama officials said the settlement would strengthen protections for young users. An Alabama official said, “Tonight, they can rest easier knowing real protections are in place to shield their children from the dangers of social media addiction.”
TikTok Teen Safety Restrictions
The settlement introduces several restrictions for teenagers using TikTok. The measures include a two-hour daily time limit and restricted access between midnight and 6:00 a.m.
TikTok will also suspend notifications during school hours and strengthen its age-verification systems. The company will ban beauty filters for teenage users and provide young users with a non-personalized content feed.
The agreement also includes a conditional nighttime restriction. If other social media platforms adopt the same measure, TikTok could extend the shutdown period to 10:00 p.m. through 7:00 a.m.
A TikTok spokesperson said the company remains focused on user safety.
“TikTok’s priority has always been fostering a safe and positive space where people can be creative, discover what they love, and connect with their community,” the spokesperson told AFP.
The spokesperson added, “This builds on our commitment and core objective to continually enhance our robust safety tools to protect teens.”
TikTok Alabama Lawsuit
Alabama initially sued TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance in April 2025. The state alleged that TikTok was designed to keep young users engaged and described the platform as being engineered “just like a sophisticated gambling machine.”
The state later narrowed its case to claims under Alabama’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act. It questioned whether TikTok had accurately represented the effectiveness of features including Restricted Mode and Kids Mode.
More than a dozen states, including California and New York, still have active lawsuits against TikTok.
The settlement comes after Meta faced trials over similar allegations involving children’s safety on its platforms. In March, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million after finding that the company had misled the public about platform safety for children.
TikTok’s agreement now adds stronger restrictions aimed at limiting teenage screen time, nighttime access and exposure to potentially harmful content.
