TikTok’s Safety Claims Get a Reality Check in Texas Court
Synopsis
TikTok faces a Texas trial after a judge ruled the platform misled users about child safety protections and Restricted Mode, adding to growing legal pressure over how social media companies protect minors online.
TikTok child safety claims are facing renewed legal scrutiny following a ruling by a Texas judge that the social media site misled parents on its safety measures, designed to keep children away from inappropriate content.
On September 10, Judge Cory Liu ruled that TikTok was misleading consumers in Texas about its youth filtering and the effectiveness of its 'Restricted Mode' feature.
In January 2025, Texas filed a lawsuit against TikTok, claiming the company had made the app safe for kids. The case will now go to trial, during which penalties and other remedies will be considered, and the state attorney general's office is anticipating the trial will commence next month.
Texas Court Challenges TikTok’s Safety Promises
The court's decision highlighted TikTok's management of content that violated its Community Guidelines. Texas contended that the company had promised it would remove such content from its platform, but had internally identified some of it as 'hard to find,' not content that was impossible to remain on its platform.
Liu concurred this practice was a breach of the state's consumer protection law. The judge also determined that Texas had proven that Restricted Mode does not work as TikTok claims it filters out content for minors that it says it filters out.
The ruling joins a larger litany of lawsuits between TikTok and youth protection. In August, TikTok agreed to settle three U.S. lawsuits brought by young people who accused social media companies of designing platforms to be addictive and harming their mental health.
TikTok also faced criticism for the safety of its children in an unrelated federal privacy lawsuit. In August, TikTok and ByteDance agreed to pay $400 million to settle U.S. Justice Department allegations that the company violated children’s privacy rules, including by collecting personal information from users under 13 without parental consent. The settlement includes $300 million paid upfront and $100 million contingent upon a court order.
TikTok Faces a Tougher Global Child-Safety Landscape
The Texas decision is part of governments' tougher regulations on social media companies in terms of child safety on TikTok and youth protection in general.
This week, California passed laws limiting children under the age of 16 from encountering 'infinite scroll' feeds or algorithmic autoplay on social media platforms. The measures were part of a suite of 13 bills relating to online privacy and other technology related threats to minors.
Australia has already taken a step further with their 16-year-old ban on social media accounts for kids under the age of 16. It is different from California's system, which bans all ages based on certain features of the platform.
The Texas case now brings the spotlight to the possibility of penalties for TikTok, as opposed to allegations. The trial will decide on the economic or other liability that the company may be due over its representations about child safety on TikTok.
The ruling does not set a penalty itself and TikTok has yet to comment on the decision outside of business hours.
Source: Reuters
Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
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