iWorld
Texas judge rules TikTok misled users over child safety safeguards
Court finds issues with content filtering and Restricted Mode as case heads towards trial
MUMBAI: TikTok’s safety net has developed a legal hole. A Texas judge has ruled that the social media platform violated the state’s consumer protection law by giving users misleading information about safeguards designed to protect minors, including its content filtering and Restricted Mode features.
The case was brought by Texas in January 2025, with the state alleging that TikTok had promoted its platform as safe for children.
Judge Cory Liu found that TikTok’s representations about its content moderation did not match how some material was treated internally. The company had told users that content violating its Community Guidelines would be removed, while Texas argued that some of the same material was instead categorised internally as “hard to find”.
Liu agreed that this practice violated the state’s consumer protection law.
The judge also found that Texas had demonstrated that TikTok’s Restricted Mode did not work as advertised. The feature is intended to limit inappropriate material accessible to minors, but the court found that some content TikTok had said would be filtered could still be accessed.
The ruling is not the final whistle for TikTok in Texas. The case will now proceed to trial, where penalties and other remedies will be determined. The Texas Attorney General’s office said the trial is expected to be scheduled next month.
The dispute adds to mounting scrutiny of how social media platforms protect younger users and communicate the effectiveness of those safeguards.
TikTok agreed in August to settle three US lawsuits brought by young people who accused social media companies of designing their platforms to be addictive and damaging to their mental health.
Meta also agreed in August to pay up to $18 billion to settle US claims related to social media addiction, adding to the wider legal pressure facing major social platforms over their treatment of younger users.
For TikTok, the Texas ruling now shifts the focus from what its safety features promise to what they actually deliver with the next round set to play out at trial.
