TikTok Settles Alabama Youth Safety Lawsuit for at Least $100 Million, Imposing First-in-Nation Teen Usage Limits

TikTok and parent company ByteDance reached a landmark settlement with Alabama on September 25, 2026, agreeing to pay the state a minimum of $100 million and implement sweeping restrictions on teen accounts, averting what would have been the first state trial over claims the platform was designed to addict minors. The deal, announced by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, includes a two-hour daily time cap for users aged 13-17, "productive pauses" after 15, 60, and 90 minutes of continuous use, a midnight-to-6 a.m. access ban, restrictions on messaging and notifications during school hours, a ban on cosmetic filters, default non-personalized feeds, and enhanced parental controls. Payment is due within 45 days and could reach up to $300 million if additional conditions, including similar deals in other states, are met. TikTok did not admit wrongdoing. This marks the first state-level settlement in ongoing litigation accusing social media platforms of harming youth mental health through addictive design. It follows a similar multi-state Meta agreement that brought Alabama $117 million and earlier Roblox and federal COPPA resolutions. Related cases continue, including a Texas ruling on Restricted Mode and thousands of individual suits in California courts.