TikTok violates children’s safety, fails to implement court orders to comply with the law: US lawsuit
The US government has filed a lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the Chinese-owned social media platform of jeopardizing child safety through illegal data collection and inadequate measures to protect young users.
The lawsuit, filed by the US Justice Department on Friday in a California federal court, alleges that TikTok violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by unlawfully gathering information from minors and permitting interactions between children and adults.
The complaint also alleges that TikTok failed to comply with previous court orders aimed at addressing these privacy concerns. The case marks a significant escalation in regulatory actions against the popular app, reflecting growing concerns over data security and child protection on social media platforms.
“TikTok knowingly and repeatedly violated kids’ privacy, threatening the safety of millions of children across the country,” said Lina Khan, the head of the Federal Trade Commission, which joined the Justice Department in suing the short video behemoth.
The complaint against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance alleges that from 2019 onwards TikTok allowed children to create regular TikTok accounts and create, view, and share short-form videos and messages with adults.
The lawsuit alleges that TikTok collected personal information from accounts in Kids Mode, including email addresses of children under 13. The complaint also claims that the company often ignored parental requests to delete such accounts and had ineffective policies for managing and removing accounts created by minors.
The government sued TikTok’s predecessor, Musical.ly, in 2019 for COPPA violations, and the court ordered it to undertake specific measures to comply with the law, which they have not, according to the department.
“The Department is deeply concerned that TikTok has continued to collect and retain children’s personal information despite a court order barring such conduct,” Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said.
For all the latest updates, download PGurus App.
- 15 Pakistani soldiers killed as Taliban retaliates to airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province - October 12, 2025
- China slams US for ‘Double Standards’ after Trump announces 100% tariff hike - October 12, 2025
- Allahabad High Court orders Meta, Google to remove objectionable videos targeting Jagadguru Rambhadracharya within 48 hours - October 12, 2025
