TikTok will pay Alabama at least $100 million and introduce a broad package of teen-safety measures under a settlement reached shortly before the state’s case was scheduled to go to trial.
Alabama filed the lawsuit in 2025, alleging that TikTok was harming young people’s mental health.
The state contended that TikTok’s “addictive properties,” particularly its algorithmically curated feed tailored to each user’s interests, posed risks to children. The lawsuit also alleged that the company was aware of those risks.
Under the agreement, Alabama will receive at least $100 million, according to the state Attorney General’s Office. The state could ultimately collect as much as $300 million if specified conditions are satisfied.
TikTok will make a series of changes aimed at teen users in Alabama. Among them, young people will be able to choose a feed that is not personalized by the platform’s recommendation system.
The agreement also prohibits cosmetic-procedure filters for teens, limits daily use to two hours and blocks access between midnight and 6 a.m. After 15 minutes of uninterrupted use, young users will receive a “productive pause” prompt, followed by additional reminders at 60 and 90 minutes.
“This is a great day for Alabama parents,” Alabama Attorney General Steve 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. We’ve said from day one that our number one goal was to stand up for Alabamians when they are being harmed, and today, we did exactly that.”
The $100 million payment is designated for restitution and remediation and is expected to support youth mental health services and other initiatives. Alabama could receive as much as $183.8 million more if a sufficient number of states reach qualifying settlements with TikTok within a designated period.
Many of the required changes mirror provisions Meta agreed to this summer in a settlement resolving similar allegations brought by nearly every state, including Alabama. Meta had urged TikTok and YouTube, its other major competitor, to adopt comparable standards. TikTok had not publicly responded to that call.
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“We recognize that parents and youth are fighting a battle against a bunch of different platforms,” Robertson said. “They’re manipulating kids to get addicted to their product, essentially.”
The settlement further requires more accessible parental controls, tougher age-verification procedures and stronger content-moderation practices. Teen accounts will also be private by default.
A spokesperson for the TikTok USDS Joint Venture—the group of U.S.-based investors responsible for operating the China-based platform in the United States—said Friday that 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.” The agreement, the spokesperson added, builds on the company’s commitment to improving safety tools for teens.
Alabama would have become the first state to present its claims against TikTok to a jury. The trial had been set to begin Monday.
TikTok has resolved several similar cases brought by individuals before trial, including the landmark social media addiction trial in Los Angeles earlier this year. In that case, jurors concluded that YouTube and Meta had designed their platforms to keep young users engaged without adequately considering their well-being.
In August, TikTok also reached a $400 million settlement with the Justice Department. That agreement ended a 2024 lawsuit accusing the company of violating federal laws protecting children’s privacy.
