Florida hits TikTok with suit over ensnaring kids and downplaying risks

(CN) — Florida filed a lawsuit against TikTok on Monday, claiming the popular social media platform violates state laws by actively targeting and contracting with minors while deceiving parents about the dangers of the app.

In the complaint, Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier argues TikTok is violating the state’s “online child protections law” that took effect on Jan. 1, 2025. The law bans children under 14 from social media platforms entirely and requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds to create accounts.

“Florida children, teens and their parents are facing a crisis: the widespread, compulsive use of social media platforms specifically designed to be addictive,” the state wrote in its complaint.

“Parents, teachers and experts in teen mental health agree that compulsive social media use is harmful to the mental and physical well-being of children and teens. The Florida Legislature recognized this problem as well and took decisive action to stop it,” it added.

Florida also accuses TikTok of violating the state’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act by misleading parents about the safety and appropriateness of the content their children will have access to.

It claims TikTok advertises itself as being appropriate for children 13 years and older but falsely characterizes content including sex, drugs, profanity, self-harm, suicide and eating disorders as “mild” and “infrequent," when those themes are actually prevalent and graphic.

Beyond TikTok’s failures to protect children, it also deliberately targets children as its intended users, Uthmeier said.

He argues TikTok’s business model is built to prey upon addictive behaviors, which children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable to experiencing.

TikTok employs a number of harmful addictive-by-design features specifically targeted and tailored to exploit, manipulate and capitalize on the developing brains of young users, according to Florida officials — by harvesting their personal data to identify, and then exploit for advertising revenue, vulnerabilities unique to each user.

Additionally, TikTok has been internally aware of the dangers to children and risks of sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety and self-harm for years and has knowingly ignored them, Uthmeier said.

“TikTok’s success hinges on its ability to addict children and teenagers to the platform,” Uthmeier said in a news release.

“TikTok knowingly deceives parents and allows children to be exposed to harmful and inappropriate content in direct violation of Florida law. We have zero tolerance for companies that prioritize profit over children’s safety. TikTok should expect to be held accountable," he added.

A spokesperson for TikTok said the app has notified users under 14 in Florida that their accounts will be suspended to comply with state law.

“TikTok is built with safety at its core, with more than 50 preset safety and privacy settings for teens and easy-to-use tools for parents," a spokesperson for TikTok said in response to the lawsuit. “We’re continuing to update our platform in Florida in response to state law. We are evaluating the state’s complaint and are prepared to defend our strong record on minor safety.”

Florida is not the first state to take legal action against the popular video sharing platform over concerns for its adolescent users.

TikTok and its parent company Bytedance have fought back by arguing the states lack personal jurisdiction, but those attempts have been unsuccessful so far as courts have allowed the suits to move forward.

North Carolina and former Attorney General Josh Stein — now the state’s governor — sued the social media company in October 2024. They claim the company induces and encourages compulsive use through autoplay, infinite scroll and content that disappears after a short period of time.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird also sued TikTok in January 2024, claiming the app violates the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act by misrepresenting the frequency of profanity, sexual content and nudity available to users as young as 12.

Nebraska, Texas and Hawaii have filed similar suits as well. The lawsuits began as early as 2022, when Indiana’s attorney general sued TikTok for violating data security and child safety laws.

States such as Georgia, Minnesota, Arkansas, California and Ohio have enacted similar laws to Florida’s, aimed at protecting children from exposure to mature content and the harms associated with social media use.

However, NetChoice, a prominent lobbying group with members including TikTok, Meta, Google and other major media companies, has persuaded judges across the country to block such laws. The internet trade association argues the laws violate First Amendment rights by restricting online speech.

Follow @Megwiththenews