Business owner hit with $55k bill over daughter’s TikTok watching

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A father’s business is in financial trouble because his daughter ran up a large bill using TikTok. Surprisingly, the charges weren’t from purchases made directly within the TikTok Shop.

For many people, TikTok is now their go-to for endless scrolling. With so much varied content, it’s easy to get hooked, particularly when they have free time.

Business owner Andrew Alty is facing a huge bill after his daughter used TikTok while they were traveling in Morocco.

Alty, a curtain shop owner in Manchester, England, was shocked to receive a phone bill for £42,000 (about $56,000) after returning from a trip. The bill arrived as two separate invoices, which he immediately suspected were errors.

Massive phone bill for TikTok threatened bankruptcy

Alty explained to The Telegraph that he was traveling to the desert when he tried repeatedly to contact O2, but couldn’t resolve the issue. He suspected a technical problem or that his account may have been compromised.

He shared that his daughter had been using her phone for about eight hours total, and this was costing roughly £5000 per hour.

High charges resulted from a provision in the business owner’s phone plan that permitted unlimited data usage while traveling outside of Europe.

After The Telegraph investigated, Alty’s bill was cancelled. He explained, “They didn’t bother to let us know about the charges, and they just kept adding up. I can’t believe they expect a small business to be able to afford a bill like that.”

TikTok recently settled a lawsuit related to claims that its platform is addictive. This case was a significant one, marking a first for social media addiction claims, and avoided a trial.

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2026-02-20 17:18