A Texas judge ruled on Thursday, September 10, 2026, that TikTok violated state consumer protection law by misleading users about its content filtration for minors. The ruling determined that the social media platform misrepresented the effectiveness of its "Restricted Mode" and its general safety standards for children.
Texas initially filed the lawsuit in January 2025, alleging that the company marketed its platform as safe for children. According to the ruling, Judge Cory Liu found that TikTok told users it would remove content violating Community Guidelines, such as material involving drugs, gambling, or graphic injuries. However, the state argued that internal records showed the company classified some of this material as "hard to find" rather than "do not allow," which permitted the content to remain on the service. Judge Liu stated that Texas established that "Restricted Mode" exposed minors to content the company claimed would be filtered out.
The case will now proceed to a trial to determine specific penalties and remedies for the consumer protection violations. The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated that the trial is expected to be scheduled next month, in October 2026. In August 2026, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle claims regarding social media addiction, and TikTok itself agreed to settle three other U.S. lawsuits involving teen mental health. TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the Thursday ruling.