Florida Takes On TikTok
Florida Attorney General sues TikTok, alleging child protection law violations
Key Points
At a press conference, Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office’s evidence suggests “so many kids are on TikTok for upwards of six, seven, eight or more hours a day,” arguing the platform is “designed to keep kids stuck on those screens for hours.”
Florida’s complaint argues TikTok is effectively deceiving parents about content ratings—saying an honest assessment of mature material would warrant an “over 16 or over 18” rating (instead of an expected “over 13”), which the state says would trigger phone restrictions that prevent many teens from downloading the app.
TikTok responded that it is “built with safety at its core,” and—per Uthmeier’s description of TikTok’s posture—said its content policy would not include “focus on fear or suffering, profanity or vulgarity, serious violence, dangerous behavior, or threatening imagery, including blood, sexually suggestive content, explicit references to mature or complex themes.”
The Guardian reports TikTok’s legal troubles extend beyond Florida: the company has already been sued by “roughly two dozen” other state attorneys general over claims tied to the addictive nature of its feed and alleged harmful effects on children’s mental health.
As Florida’s lawsuit drew attention, MyNews13 noted that Great Britain announced it would ban children 16 and under from using social media apps—signaling a broader policy push beyond the U.S.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued TikTok and its parent company ByteDance on June 15, 2026, accusing them of breaking the state's child online protection law. The complaint says TikTok lets children under 14 create accounts and allows teens to sign up without the parental consent required by Florida law since January 2025. NTD reported Uthmeier is seeking civil and punitive damages, plus injunctive relief.
At a press conference the following morning, Uthmeier said his office's evidence shows minors spending "six, seven, eight or more hours a day" on the platform. He called TikTok a product "designed to keep kids stuck on those screens for hours." TikTok responded that it is "built with safety at its core" and said it is evaluating the complaint.
Florida's 2025 Law TikTok Allegedly Ignored
Florida's House Bill 3 took effect January 1, 2025. It bans children under 14 from creating social media accounts entirely. Teens aged 14 and 15 can only sign up with a parent's permission. Economic Times reported that Florida alleges TikTok's onboarding process simply does not follow either rule — allowing under-14 users to create accounts and letting older teens skip the parental consent step.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 3 in March 2024, framing it as a parental rights issue. The law gave platforms nearly a year to comply before it kicked in. Florida's AG office then spent several months conducting an undercover investigation and reviewing TikTok's compliance data before filing suit.
TikTok's '13+' Label Called a Lie to Parents
Florida's lawsuit targets how TikTok describes its own content. The state argues TikTok tells parents the app contains only "mild" or "infrequent" mature material. But Florida claims themes like sexual content, drug use, self-harm, and eating disorders appear regularly — and "often in graphic detail." WTXL noted the state says this misleads parents under Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
The stakes of that label are high. TikTok markets itself as suitable for users 13 and older. Florida argues an honest content rating would be "over 16 or over 18." That matters because iOS and Android devices have built-in parental controls that block apps with higher age ratings. A "13+" label bypasses those safeguards entirely, keeping the app available to millions of young teens.
Autoplay and Endless Scroll Designed to Hook Minors
The lawsuit does not just target age gates — it targets TikTok's design. Florida says features like autoplay, endless scrolling, push notifications, and the algorithm-driven "For You" feed work together to hold users' attention as long as possible. The state frames these not as neutral features but as tools built to maximize time on screen, especially for younger users.
TikTok pushes back on this framing. The company points to tools like Screen Time Limits and Family Pairing as proof it takes safety seriously. Its content policy, as described by Uthmeier, says the platform does not allow "sexually suggestive content" or "threatening imagery." Florida argues that what TikTok says its policy does and what actually appears on teens' screens are two different things.
Florida Joins Dozens of States in Global Push Against TikTok
Florida is not alone. The Guardian reported that roughly two dozen state attorneys general have already sued TikTok over claims tied to its addictive design and the platform's alleged harm to children's mental health. This wave of lawsuits has shifted legal strategy — from free speech arguments to product liability and consumer protection claims, which are harder for TikTok to fight on First Amendment grounds.
The push is global, too. MyNews13 noted that Great Britain recently announced a ban on social media use for children 16 and under — a stricter cutoff than Florida's 14-year threshold. If Florida wins, TikTok could face billions of dollars in fines calculated on a per-user, per-day basis, potentially forcing either a Florida-specific version of the app or a full exit from the state's market.
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