TikTok has reached a settlement with the state of Alabama that requires the company to pay at least $100 million and introduce a range of new protections for teenagers. The agreement was reached shortly before the case was scheduled to go before a jury.
Alabama filed the lawsuit against TikTok in 2025, alleging that the social media platform was negatively affecting the mental health and well-being of young people.
State officials argued that TikTok's highly personalized recommendation system and other features made the platform potentially addictive for children. The lawsuit also claimed that TikTok was aware of the possible risks associated with those features.
Under the settlement, TikTok will make several changes specifically for teenage users in Alabama. One of the new options will allow teenagers to switch from personalized recommendations to a feed that is not tailored to their individual interests.
The company will also prohibit teenagers from using cosmetic-enhancement filters. Teen users will face a two-hour daily usage limit, while access to the platform will be blocked between midnight and 6 a.m. In addition, TikTok will remind young users to take a “productive pause” after 15 minutes of uninterrupted use and issue additional reminders at the 60- and 90-minute marks.
Financial Terms of the Agreement
TikTok will pay Alabama $100 million in restitution and remediation. The money is expected to support youth mental health initiatives and other programs aimed at helping young people.
The state could receive as much as another $183.8 million if enough other states reach qualifying settlements with TikTok within the specified period.
Many of the measures in Alabama's agreement resemble changes Meta agreed to implement this summer as part of a separate settlement involving similar allegations brought by nearly every state, including Alabama.
Meta had previously encouraged TikTok and YouTube to adopt comparable safety standards, although TikTok had not publicly committed to doing so at the time.
Katherine Robertson, chief counsel for the Alabama Attorney General's Office and the Republican nominee for the state's next attorney general, acknowledged the similarities between the agreements.
She said children and parents are facing challenges from numerous directions and argued that multiple social media platforms use techniques intended to keep young users engaged with their services.
Stronger Parental Controls and Age Checks
The settlement also requires TikTok to improve parental-control features and make them easier for families to use. The company must strengthen its methods for verifying users' ages and improve its systems for moderating potentially harmful content.
Teen accounts will also be private by default, providing young users with greater control over who can access their content.
A spokesperson for the TikTok USDS Joint Venture said the company has consistently focused on creating a safe environment where users can express themselves, discover content and interact with their communities. The spokesperson added that the settlement builds on TikTok's ongoing efforts to strengthen safety features for teenagers.
Alabama Case Was Set to Become a Landmark Trial
Alabama would have been the first state to present its case against TikTok before a jury. The trial had been scheduled to begin Monday, but the settlement eliminates the need for that proceeding.
TikTok has previously resolved several lawsuits involving similar allegations before they reached trial. One of the most notable cases was a major social media addiction trial in Los Angeles earlier this year.
In that case, jurors concluded that YouTube and Meta had designed their platforms in ways that encouraged young users to remain engaged without adequately considering their well-being.
TikTok also reached a separate $400 million agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice in August. That settlement resolved a federal lawsuit filed in 2024 that accused the company of violating U.S. laws protecting children's online privacy.