They Called It Growth. The DOJ Called It $400 Million.

On Friday, TikTok and ByteDance agreed to pay $400 million to settle a Department of Justice lawsuit alleging violations of COPPA — the law protecting children under 13 from having their data collected without parental consent.

The DOJ called it “one of the largest recoveries ever obtained in a COPPA case.” 🐊

📁 The structure: $300 million paid immediately, another $100 million conditional on vacating a prior consent decree against TikTok’s predecessor — Musical.ly. Same company, different name, same underlying question.

⚖️ Associate AG Stanley Woodward Jr.: “This settlement is a major victory for American children and parents.” The claims remain allegations — no determination of liability was made. TikTok gets to keep the app. The DOJ gets $400 million.

Womp womp. 🎭