Source reporting: Dallas Express
A Travis County district judge has found TikTok liable for two deceptive practices involving the platform’s representations about protections for minors, according to the Dallas Express. The ruling establishes liability under Texas consumer-protection law but does not yet determine penalties.
Judge Cory Liu of Travis County’s 250th District Court granted the state’s motion for partial summary judgment in an order dated September 10. The case was brought by the Texas Attorney General’s Office under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
The Dallas Express reported that the court identified two categories of misleading conduct. First, TikTok represented that certain videos violating its community standards would be removed, while internal moderation practices allowed some material to remain available with reduced visibility. The ruling addressed content involving drug use, gambling, sexually suggestive conduct by minors and graphic injuries.
Second, the court found that TikTok misrepresented the effectiveness of Restricted Mode, a feature promoted as a way to limit material inappropriate for minors. According to the report, the state established that users operating under the restriction were still exposed to significant amounts of content involving profanity, sexual themes, violence, weapons, drugs and other mature subjects.
Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the lawsuit in January 2025, alleging that TikTok promoted its application as safe for children despite internal practices and product limitations that did not match those representations. The Dallas Express noted that the case is separate from another Texas lawsuit alleging violations of the state’s Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment Act, which governs minors’ data and parental controls.
The Attorney General’s Office described Texas as the first state to obtain a liability ruling against TikTok on these grounds. That characterization comes from the state, and the court’s order at this stage resolves only part of the litigation. Damages, civil penalties and any additional relief remain undecided, with a trial expected to be scheduled.
The ruling has broader Texas significance because it applies the state’s deceptive-trade-practices law to claims about digital safety features marketed to parents and young users. It also gives state officials a legal foundation for seeking penalties without having to prove the two deceptive practices at trial. The remaining proceedings will determine the consequences for TikTok and may clarify how Texas courts evaluate child-safety assurances made by large online platforms.