Alabama reached a settlement with TikTok in the state’s lawsuit over its concerns about child safety on the app on Friday, securing new safety features on the app and averting a trial set for Monday.
State Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the settlement, saying his office secured a $100 million minimum payment from the company, along with a series of safety feature concessions from TikTok, including a two-hour daily time limit on the app for children and a system of parental controls.
“This is a great day for Alabama parents,” Marshall said in a statement. “Tonight, they can rest easier knowing real protections are in place to shield their children from the dangers of social media addiction. TikTok has agreed to give parents real control over what their kids see and how much time they spend on the app.”
The settlement averts what would have been the first trial for TikTok in a state lawsuit over child safety concerns. Dozens of states have filed lawsuits against the short-form video app. The case was scheduled to go to trial on Monday.
In addition to the daily limit, the settlement includes special protections for children such as “productive pauses” at certain minute increments to prevent children from endlessly scrolling, restrictions on the app from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., restrictions on notifications during school hours, stronger age verification measures, a nonpersonalized feed, and a prohibition on certain filters.
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, TikTok said the settlement helps the company in its goal “to continually enhance” the app’s safety measures.
“TikTok’s priority has always been fostering a safe and positive space where people can be creative, discover what they love, and connect with their community,” a TikTok USDS Joint Venture spokesperson said in the statement. “This builds on our commitment and core objective to continually enhance our robust safety tools to protect teens.”
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Marshall’s office said the settlement counted as the “latest victory” for Marshall in his goal “to hold technology companies and social media platforms accountable for putting Alabama consumers, particularly children, at risk.”
Marshall and the state of Alabama had been a part of the multistate settlement with Meta that promised child safety measures on their platforms.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
