According to the lawsuit, TikTok is accused of collecting personal data from millions of children under the age of 13 without parental consent, violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

The law requires online platforms to obtain explicit parental consent before collecting any personal information from children. However, TikTok has reportedly allowed children to create accounts and post videos and messages without adult supervision.

FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan stressed that: "TikTok has intentionally and repeatedly violated children's privacy, threatening the safety of millions of children."

TikTok, for its part, has denied these allegations. A representative of the company said that TikTok has been taking many measures to protect the privacy of users, especially children, and will continue to update and improve the platform in the future.

According to the FTC's request, TikTok could face fines of up to $51,744 per violation, meaning the total fine could reach billions of dollars if the company is found to have violated its legal responsibilities.

This isn’t the first time TikTok has run into trouble with regulators over children’s privacy. In 2020, the DOJ and FTC opened an investigation into TikTok for failing to comply with a 2019 child privacy agreement. Last year, the platform also faced fines from the European Union and the United Kingdom for violations related to handling children’s data.

In response to these developments, the US Senate has also passed a bill that expands the scope of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), raising the age of protection to 17. The bill prohibits advertising aimed at children and teens and gives parents the right to request that their children’s personal data be deleted from social media platforms. The bill will need to be passed by the House of Representatives before it can officially take effect.