{
  "id": 9883703,
  "title": "TikTok to pay Alabama US$100mil under pre-trial settlement",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/tiktok-to-pay-alabama-us-100mil-under-pre-trial-settlement-9883703",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-26T01:13:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/business/2026/09/26/tiktok-to-pay-alabama-us-100mil-under-pre-trial-settlement"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "TikTok has reached a pre-trial settlement with Alabama, agreeing to pay the state at least $100 million under the terms of the agreement. The settlement, announced by the office of Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, requires the social media giant to implement various safety measures for teenage users. Among the stipulations are two-hour daily time limits and restrictions on access between midnight and 6 a.m. The settlement could potentially triple to $300 million if certain conditions are met.\n\nThe lawsuit, initially filed in April 2025, accused TikTok of engineering the app to addict young users, similar to a gambling machine. Alabama had narrowed its case to claims under the state's Deceptive Trade Practices Act, focusing on TikTok's representations of Restricted Mode and Kids Mode. Testing revealed that even with Restricted Mode enabled, users were exposed to content about suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, alcohol, and sex. TikTok also faced accusations of falsely advertising the platform's suitability for children aged 12 and up, containing only mild or infrequent mature content.\n\nThough TikTok maintains its commitment to creating a safe and positive space for users to create, discover, and connect, the settlement marks a significant victory for Alabama in the ongoing wave of litigation targeting social media companies for alleged harm to young users.",
  "summary": "The video platform also agreed to two-hour daily limits and restrict children's access from midnight to 6am, avoiding a trial over child safety claims.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 11,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CNA - Business",
        "title": "TikTok settles with Alabama ahead of first state trial over claims of teen harms",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/tiktok-settles-with-alabama-ahead-of-first-state-trial-over-claims-of",
        "published": "2026-09-25T22:38:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "TikTok settles lawsuit with Alabama for at least $100 million, will implement safety features",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/tiktok-settles-lawsuit-with-alabama-for-at-least-100-million-will",
        "published": "2026-09-26T00:03:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Le Monde English",
        "title": "TikTok to pay $100 million to Alabama under pre-trial settlement",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/tiktok-to-pay-100-million-to-alabama-under-pre-trial-settlement",
        "published": "2026-09-26T01:01:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "TikTok pays Alabama US$100m to avoid trial over teen safety",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/tiktok-pays-alabama-us-100m-to-avoid-trial-over-teen-safety",
        "published": "2026-09-26T01:06:47.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "TikTok to pay Alabama US$100mil under pre-trial settlement",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/tiktok-to-pay-alabama-us-100mil-under-pre-trial-settlement",
        "published": "2026-09-26T01:13:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "RTE News",
        "title": "TikTok settles Alabama child safety case for $100m",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/tiktok-settles-alabama-child-safety-case-for-100m",
        "published": "2026-09-26T01:21:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Facebook found liable as TikTok settles for $100m over user safety",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/facebook-found-liable-as-tiktok-settles-for-100m-over-user-safety",
        "published": "2026-09-26T01:26:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "TikTok settles lawsuit with Alabama for at least US$100m, to apply safety steps",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/tiktok-settles-lawsuit-with-alabama-for-at-least-us-100m-to-apply",
        "published": "2026-09-26T01:38:08.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "TikTok settles lawsuit over youth safety concerns for at least $100 million",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/tiktok-settles-lawsuit-over-youth-safety-concerns-for-at-least-100",
        "published": "2026-09-26T02:09:16.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "DW English (Top Stories)",
        "title": "TikTok agrees to settle with Alabama state over teen safety",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/tiktok-agrees-to-settle-with-alabama-state-over-teen-safety",
        "published": "2026-09-26T03:09:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}