The US government has sued TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, alleging violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), as reported by Clare Duffy, CNN.

The lawsuit claims TikTok allowed children to create accounts without parental consent and unlawfully collected their personal data, including email addresses, phone numbers, and location information.

Despite a 2019 settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission, which required TikTok to comply with COPPA, the Justice Department asserts that the company has continued to breach these regulations.

TikTok’s “Kids Mode” has failed to prevent children under 13 from using the regular app, resulting in further unauthorized data collection.

This lawsuit, filed in California district court, adds to TikTok’s ongoing legal challenges, including potential bans in the US and fines in Europe for similar privacy violations.