TikTok settles with Alabama ahead of first state trial over claims of teen harms

TikTok reached a settlement with the state of Alabama for at least $100 million, agreeing to implement safety features for teenagers on its platform. The case was brought against the social media company by Alabama, claiming that the app had negative effects on youths' mental well-being due to its addictive features. In the settlement agreement, TikTok must provide platform-level changes for teen users in Alabama, such as the option to choose a non-personalized feed, prohibit cosmetic filters for teens, set a two-hour daily time limit, and ban nighttime usage between midnight and 6 a.m. Young users will also receive prompts to take breaks after 15 minutes of continuous usage, and at 60 and 90 minutes.

Additionally, TikTok will pay the state $100 million in restitution and remediation, which will likely go towards youth mental health services and programs. If other states settle with TikTok within a certain timeframe, Alabama could receive up to an additional $183.8 million. The settlement also includes enhanced parental controls, stronger age verification measures, and improved content moderation protocols, with teen accounts set to private by default.

This is similar to the settlement Meta reached with similar claims from states, though TikTok has not publicly commented on the matter.