TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance have agreed to pay $400 million to the US Department of Justice to settle an investigation into the collection of children's data without parental consent, specifically those under 13 years old. The agreement, announced on August 21, 2026, resolves a complaint filed in 2024 by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, which targeted the app's "Kids Mode". The payment breaks down into $300 million upfront and an additional $100 million, contingent on the cancellation of a 2019 order related to Musical.ly, the former app acquired by ByteDance in 2017. TikTok made no admission of liability as part of this agreement.
