Potential TikTok buyer will also acquire 1,500 safety and privacy lawsuits

1,500

4/3/25

TikTok’s legal baggage could be just as heavy as its user base.

The popular social media app is facing an estimated 1,500 pending lawsuits, with allegations ranging from fueling a youth mental health crisis to misusing user data for profit. Since unresolved lawsuits typically transfer in corporate takeovers, any buyer of TikTok’s operations would inherit the legal challenges. In the US, that includes a DOJ lawsuit filed against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, last year over alleged child privacy violations.

Bloomberg Intelligence estimates total legal costs could stretch into the billions.

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