TikTok has won a temporary pause in a Texas child safety case while a state appeals court considers whether the company can immediately challenge a ruling that found it misled users about harmful content and its Restricted Mode feature.
The Texas Fifteenth Court of Appeals on Tuesday halted all proceedings in the trial court. The case had been moving toward an October trial over penalties, other remedies and claims that remain unresolved.
TikTok is appealing a September 10 ruling by Travis County District Judge Cory Liu, who found the company liable on two claims under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. TikTok argues it can seek appellate review before the rest of the case proceeds because it qualifies as electronic media under Texas law.
The appeals court said it needs more time to decide whether the company is entitled to a longer stay. Texas opposes the delay and wants the case to continue in the trial court.
Liu found TikTok misled users by saying videos that violated its Community Guidelines would be removed, while internal policies allowed some sexually suggestive, drug-related and other material to remain on the platform under a “hard to find” designation.
He also found TikTok misrepresented Restricted Mode, which the company promoted as a way to limit exposure to content that may be inappropriate for some users. Texas presented internal evidence showing employees knew the setting was not filtering material in the way users had been led to expect.
Those findings resolved only part of the state’s case. Penalties, other remedies and additional allegations were left for later proceedings.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued TikTok in January 2025, accusing the company of presenting the platform as safer for younger users than its internal practices supported. The state also claims TikTok designed features to encourage prolonged use by minors and failed to adequately disclose potential effects on their mental health.
The Fifteenth Court of Appeals is now considering whether TikTok can pursue its appeal before the remaining claims and remedies phase move forward. The Travis County case will stay paused until the appellate court rules on TikTok’s motions or issues another order.
The case is State of Texas v. TikTok Inc., in the 250th District Court of Travis County, Texas.
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