TikTok Settles Alabama Lawsuit Over Youth Mental Health

TikTok Inc. reached a settlement with the state of Alabama on September 25, 2026, to resolve a 2025 lawsuit alleging the platform used addictive algorithms that harmed the mental well-being of youths. The agreement, finalized just before a trial was scheduled to begin in Montgomery, requires the company to pay Alabama between $100 million and $116.2 million for restitution and remediation. Total payments could reach $300 million if other states accept similar terms.

Under the settlement, the platform must implement several safety restrictions for Alabama teenagers, including a two-hour daily time limit and a ban on use from midnight to 6 a.m. The company will also suspend notifications during school hours, set teen accounts to private by default, and introduce productive pauses after 15, 60, and 90 minutes of continuous use. Additionally, TikTok Inc. will ban cosmetic procedure filters for teens, strengthen age verification, and provide a non-personalized content feed.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall stated the settlement provides parents with real control to shield children from social media addiction. The lawsuit originally alleged the app was engineered to hook young users like a gambling machine and failed to block content related to eating disorders and self-harm. These provisions mirror a recent $18 billion settlement reached by Meta.