TikTok settles lawsuit with Alabama for at least US$100m, to apply safety steps

Alabama has reached a settlement with TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance, agreeing to implement new safety measures and pay at least US$100 million to the state. The agreement requires TikTok to introduce usage limits and enhanced age-verification measures for teenagers in Alabama, including a two-hour daily time limit, breaks after 15 minutes of use, and stricter age checks.

If 40 other attorneys general join similar agreements with the company, the payout could rise to US$300 million. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who initiated the lawsuit, welcomed the settlement as a "great day for Alabama parents" and emphasized the company's commitment to enhancing its safety tools. This settlement marks TikTok's first with a state in the ongoing litigation over social media's impact on teen well-being, and it comes as the platform faces numerous lawsuits from states, individuals, school districts, and municipalities over its alleged influence on young users' mental health.

Brief written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.