The U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission have jointly filed a lawsuit against popular social media platform TikTok and its parent company ByteDance. The lawsuit alleges that TikTok repeatedly violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by knowingly collecting data from millions of children under the age of 13 and allowing them to interact with adults and adult content on the app.

According to the civil suit obtained by CNBC, TikTok is accused of storing data like email addresses from users under the age of 13, allowing them to create regular accounts instead of using the app's designated version for children. The government claims that TikTok did not honor parents' requests to delete their young children's accounts. The FTC Chair, Lina Khan, stated that TikTok's actions have endangered the safety of millions of children across the country.

In response to the allegations, TikTok issued a statement disagreeing with the claims, mentioning that the issues mentioned in the suit relate to past events and practices that have been addressed. TikTok emphasized its commitment to protecting children, highlighting features such as age-appropriate experiences, stringent safeguards, proactive removal of suspected underage users, and additional privacy protections for minors that have been implemented on the platform.

This is not the first time TikTok has faced legal action regarding COPPA violations. In 2019, the government sued Musical.ly, which later became TikTok, for similar reasons. Since then, TikTok has been under a court order to take additional measures to comply with COPPA.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, where TikTok's U.S. headquarters are located. The complaint alleges that children under the age of 13 were able to create, view, and share videos and messages with adults and other TikTok users, bypassing the restrictions of the "Kids Mode" feature. The government claims that TikTok collected and retained information from these children without parental consent and failed to identify and delete accounts created by young children.

Certain details in the government's complaint against TikTok have been redacted, pending the court's ruling on whether they will be made public. TikTok has been a subject of scrutiny from bipartisan elected officials over concerns regarding national security, exposure of young users to inappropriate content, and the spread of divisive rhetoric. The platform, owned by a Chinese company, has faced accusations of unfair treatment compared to its American-owned social media competitors.

In April, President Joe Biden signed a national security package that included a provision stating that TikTok would be banned in the U.S. unless ByteDance sells the platform to an American company. TikTok responded by suing the U.S. government in May, claiming that the bill violates the First Amendment. The ban, if implemented, would occur after the 2024 elections. TikTok's legal battle with the former Trump administration, which had also sought to ban the app, was previously struck down in court.

With 170 million American users, TikTok remains a significant player in the social media landscape. Notably, both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have utilized the platform for their respective campaigns. In March, Trump expressed a change in stance, stating that he no longer intended to ban TikTok if re-elected.

The outcome of this latest lawsuit against TikTok will likely have significant implications for the platform's future, particularly in relation to children's privacy protection measures.