TikTok pays Alabama $100m and will impose two-hour daily limit on children to settle addiction lawsuit

From the Newshound archive · first published 26 September 2026 · last updated 27 September 2026.

ByteDance and TikTok have settled Alabama's child addiction lawsuit for a minimum of $100m, heading off a landmark trial that had been scheduled to begin on Monday. The deal — TikTok's first settlement with any US state — requires the platform to cap daily use for children at two hours and prohibit overnight access between midnight and 6am. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall called it a "great day for Alabama parents" and said real controls are now in place against social media addiction. TikTok faces a penalty of up to $300m if it fails to meet the settlement's conditions.

Alabama sued TikTok in 2025, alleging its algorithm steered young users toward violence and self-harm content, causing emergency room visits for self-harm to 'skyrocket'.

The restrictions — including bars on cosmetic-procedure filters and 'productive pause' prompts after 15 minutes — apply only in Alabama, with age verification measures to follow within a year.

At least 27 other US states and Washington DC have filed similar child safety lawsuits against TikTok, raising the prospect of far larger national payouts to come.