Washington: (RightNow) TikTok and ByteDance have settled a child online privacy lawsuit in the US for $400 million. The US Department of Justice accused TikTok in August 2024 of collecting children’s data.

The lawsuit claimed TikTok collected and used personal information of children under 13 without parental consent. It also alleged failure to meet legal requirements.

TikTok agreed to pay $300 million immediately under the settlement, with an additional $100 million contingent on court approval.

This case is significant as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act requires parental consent. The company was fined in 2019 for similar violations.

It is noteworthy that in 2019, TikTok’s predecessor, Musical.ly, was fined $5.7 million for violating child privacy laws.