TikTok pulls out of US House meeting on national security, citing child-safety lawsuit

TikTok withdrew from a scheduled meeting with the US House Select Committee on China, citing unrelated child-safety litigation, according to committee chairman John Moolenaar. The cancellation raises serious questions about the company's credibility and transparency regarding national security concerns. The bipartisan roundtable, planned for Sept 15, was intended to address TikTok's US business operations following its spinout from ByteDance and compliance with a national security law protecting Americans' data from Chinese influence. Chief security officer Will Farrell had agreed to attend but backed out on Aug 27, one day after Meta's US$18bil settlement with state attorneys general over teen harm claims. Moolenaar noted the cancellation undermines confidence in TikTok's ownership and loyalties, with unclear whether the decision came from TikTok US or ByteDance, which retains a 19.9% stake. The committee plans to reschedule before year-end and invite new CEO Adam Presser, as TikTok also skipped a recent surgeon general event on children's screen use.