The United States government has sued the popular social media platform TikTok for repeatedly violating federal online privacy laws for children.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have jointly filed a civil lawsuit against TikTok, alleging that the video-sharing app has failed to protect the personal data of millions of underage users.

According to the lawsuit, TikTok has been collecting personal information from children under the age of 13 without obtaining the necessary parental consent, in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

The lawsuit claims that TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has allowed children to use the platform and has gathered email addresses, location data, and other sensitive information from young users, even on the app’s “Kids Mode” feature.

“TikTok knowingly and repeatedly violated kids’ privacy, threatening the safety of millions of children across the country,” said FTC Chair Lina Khan.

The government alleges that TikTok often failed to honor requests from parents to delete their children’s accounts and data, and had ineffective policies for identifying and removing underage users.

This is not the first time TikTok has faced legal challenges over children’s privacy. Five years ago, the US government sued the app’s predecessor, Musical.ly, which was later acquired by ByteDance and merged into TikTok.

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The latest lawsuit comes as TikTok is also embroiled in a broader battle with the US government over national security concerns related to its Chinese ownership.

A new law signed by President Biden earlier this year set a deadline for TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a nationwide ban.

TikTok has disputed the allegations, stating that the company has safeguards in place to ensure age-appropriate experiences and that it removes accounts suspected of belonging to underage users.

However, the government’s action underscores its determination to hold the platform accountable for its treatment of children’s data and privacy.