TikTok withdrew from a planned congressional appearance in September 2026, citing concerns it would face questions about its child safety practices, according to the chair of the House Select Committee on China.
Representative John Moolenaar (R-MI) said in a statement that TikTok had been negotiating “in good faith” to send its chief security officer before the committee to address questions about Chinese government access to Americans’ data and the TikTok algorithm. The company reversed course on August 27th, 2026, one day after Meta reached a sweeping settlement with state attorneys general over child safety issues and called on TikTok and YouTube to follow suit.
“Now, TikTok is refusing to appear citing its own desire to avoid broader scrutiny of its child safety practices,” Moolenaar wrote. He told Bloomberg that TikTok explained its withdrawal by saying it “wouldn’t be able to answer questions on child-safety issues” in light of Meta’s settlement — even though Moolenaar said the meeting was not originally set to focus on that topic. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
All three platforms — TikTok, Meta, and YouTube — have pending suits related to child safety practices.
Moolenaar said the committee would attempt to reschedule and push for TikTok executives to appear publicly before the end of the year, in line with requirements under the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act — the law that briefly banned TikTok from the US before enforcement was repeatedly delayed by President Donald Trump. A deal to fold TikTok’s US service into a new entity closed in January, theoretically addressing the security concerns the law cited, but the Select Committee said lingering questions about Chinese government influence on the algorithm and US data protection remained unanswered.
The withdrawal could signal further friction between TikTok and congressional oversight efforts, as lawmakers continue pressing the company on both national security and child safety fronts.
Source: The Verge