Florida’s attorney general sued TikTok on Monday over claims it is violating the state’s law barring social media platforms from allowing children under age 14 to create accounts.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, a Republican, filed the case in state court in St. Lucie County, accusing TikTok of breaking the law by permitting minors to use the site and misrepresenting the quantity of violent or sexual content that young users can be exposed to.
“TikTok knowingly deceives parents and allows children to be exposed to harmful and inappropriate content in direct violation of Florida law,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “We have zero tolerance for companies that prioritize profit over children’s safety.”
According to the filing, the lawsuit demands both cash damages and a court order for the ByteDance-owned site to make improvements to comply with the law.
A request for comment was not immediately answered by TikTok.
More than 25 state attorneys general nationwide have filed lawsuits against TikTok on the grounds that the app is made to be addicting to young users, resulting in a mental health crisis among kids and teenagers. State consumer protection statutes have formed the basis for the majority of the litigation.
TikTok, Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms and other social media companies are facing thousands of lawsuits brought by individuals and school districts over their impact on young users. The companies have denied the allegations and say they take extensive steps to keep teens and young users safe on their platforms.
In the first trial, in a case brought by a young woman who said she suffered from depression and anxiety after becoming addicted to the platforms at a young age, a jury in Los Angeles found Meta and Alphabet’s Google negligent.
TikTok, which was also a defendant, settled with the woman before trial. The company also settled another case before trial, brought by a Kentucky school district, agreeing to pay $8 million.
The law cited in Florida’s lawsuit, known as H.B. 3, requires social media platforms to bar users under the age of 14 and requires users under 16 to get parental consent before opening an account. It took effect in January 2025.
Previous Law Suits By The State Of Florida
In 2025, Florida sued Snap, the owner of Snapchat, accusing it of illegally employing features that addict children and opening accounts for children aged 13 and younger.
Florida called Snap’s conduct “particularly egregious” because the Santa Monica, California-based company markets Snapchat as safe for 13-year-olds, even though it can be used to view pornography and buy drugs, among other harmful activities.
The case against Snap, which said the law infringes on children’s rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, is ongoing, court records show.
A Florida federal judge later blocked enforcement of the law, saying it was unconstitutional. That ruling has been temporarily halted, allowing Florida to enforce it while it fights the judge’s ruling in an appeals court.
