Florida's attorney general James Uthmeier initiated legal action against TikTok on Monday, alleging the platform breaches the state's child protection regulations. The complaint, lodged in St. Lucie County court, centres on TikTok's failure to prevent minors under 14 from establishing accounts and its alleged misrepresentation of the prevalence of violent or sexual material accessible to young users.
Uthmeier, a Republican, stated that TikTok "knowingly deceives parents and allows children to be exposed to harmful and inappropriate content in direct violation of Florida law." The lawsuit demands that ByteDance-owned TikTok implement corrective measures to comply with state requirements and pay monetary damages.
TikTok's representatives responded by stating the company has been cooperating with state officials and has begun suspending Florida accounts belonging to users under 14. The platform maintains it continuously revises its systems to meet Florida's requirements and pledges to "defend our strong record on minor safety."
Florida's action forms part of a broader campaign against social media platforms. The state previously sued Snap in 2025, contending that Snapchat uses addictive features targeting children aged 13 and younger. Additionally, TikTok confronts litigation from more than 25 state attorneys general nationwide, with most cases alleging the platform is deliberately engineered to foster addiction among young users.
The lawsuit references H.B. 3, legislation effective January 2025 that mandates social media platforms prohibit accounts for users under 14 and require parental authorisation for users aged under 16. Despite a federal judge declaring the law unconstitutional, enforcement currently remains in effect pending appeals court review. Both TikTok and Meta have settled comparable cases; TikTok paid USD 8 million to resolve a Kentucky school district claim, while a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google negligent in a mental health case brought by a young woman.
