Texas District Judge Cory Liu ruled that TikTok violated state consumer protection laws by misleading users about its child safety features. The court found that TikTok's 'Restricted Mode' failed to filter graphic content and that the company internally labeled rule-breaking posts as 'hard to find' rather than removing them. This summary judgment establishes liability without a jury, clearing the way for an October 2026 trial to determine financial penalties and potential operational changes in Texas.
TikTok Restricted Mode failure
- ▪TikTok marketed "Restricted Mode" as a setting to keep graphic material involving drugs, alcohol, nudity, and violence away from children's feeds.
- ▪Texas prosecutors showed that TikTok employees internally acknowledged that "Restricted Mode" did not work as intended and exposed users to content that should have been filtered.
- ▪Texas District Judge Cory Liu ruled on September 10, 2026, that TikTok's "Restricted Mode" failed to perform as advertised and exposed minors to inappropriate content.
Internal content moderation practices
- ▪TikTok's internal content-moderation policies allowed graphic videos depicting drugs, nudity, alcohol, injuries, and profanity to remain accessible to minors under the "hard to find" designation.
- ▪TikTok internally classified some content violating its Community Guidelines as "hard to find" rather than "do not allow," permitting the material to remain on the platform.
Texas consumer protection law violations
- ▪TikTok argued in earlier filings that the Texas SCOPE Act claims rest on an unconstitutional law and that federal children's privacy rules override state rules.
- ▪Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton initially filed the lawsuit against TikTok in January 2025, alleging the platform falsely marketed its service as safe for children.
- ▪Judge Cory Liu ruled on summary judgment that TikTok's content-moderation and filtering practices violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Upcoming trial for penalties
- ▪The upcoming Texas trial will determine civil penalties, statutory damages, and a potential permanent injunction that could force changes to how TikTok operates in Texas.
- ▪Following Judge Cory Liu's liability ruling, the Texas lawsuit against TikTok will proceed to a trial expected to be scheduled in October 2026 to determine penalties and remedies.
Social media youth safety litigation
- ▪Meta Platforms agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle youth social media addiction claims across the United States, including a separate settlement with Texas.
- ▪In August 2026, TikTok agreed to settle three confidential U.S. lawsuits brought by minors who accused the company of designing its platform to be addictive.
- ▪In July 2026, TikTok reached a settlement with a Florida teenager who blamed the platform for fueling an addiction that led to depression, anxiety, and sleep loss.
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