Florida is suing yet another giant social media platform. State Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on June 15 that his office was suing TikTok for actively targeting minors in violation of a new Florida law and misleading parents about the app’s dangers.
“TikTok’s success hinges on its ability to addict children and teenagers to the platform,” Uthmeier said in a 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.”
The lawsuit targets the short-form video platform and its parent company, ByteDance, for exposing sexual content to its young users and fueling addictive use. The state is seeking changes to TikTok’s practices and monetary damages. “Potentially billions,” Uthmeier said at a Fort Lauderdale news conference.
The move is the latest in a string of lawsuits Uthmeier’s office has filed against online platforms and services.
Why is Florida suing TikTok?
In 2024, Florida passed a law to ban social media for minors under 14, require children 14 and 15 years of age to get parental consent for accounts, and force websites with adult content to require third-party age verification, among other restrictions.
Sites that violate this law may be fined up to $50,000 per violation by the state Department of Legal Affairs, plus attorney fees and court costs. If an adult site fails to keep a minor off the site, it can be liable to the minor for up to $10,000 plus attorney fees and court costs.
Last year, the state filed lawsuits against sites like Snapchat and Roblox for allegedly allowing children to be endangered by sexual predators. In recent months, Uthmeier’s office has also sued OpenAI for alleged violence and harm he says the company’s ChatGPT app caused Floridians.
“We’ve seen so many cases where predators are using these platforms to target kids,” Uthmeier said. “It’s happening in the privacy, in the dark corner of your child’s bedroom.”
TikTok also violates multiple restrictions in Florida’s social media law, Uthmeier said, including restrictions against unlimited scrolling and the use of algorithms.
“They design the application with unlimited scrolling, push notifications, videos that just go nonstop, and it’s designed to keep kids stuck on those screens for hours and hours a day,” Uthmeier added.
“Our evidence suggests that so many kids are on TikTok for upwards of six, seven, eight, or more hours a day. We are going to get our kids their lives back … here in the state of Florida.”
Has TikTok responded to Florida’s lawsuit?
In a statement to the USA TODAY Network, the company said, “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.
“We’ve been engaging constructively and in good faith with the AG and have notified users under 14 in Florida that their accounts will be suspended. 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.”
Is TikTok banned in Florida?
The app is not banned in Florida for most adult users, but in 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two bills that ban access to TikTok through any school-supplied internet and expanded a ban on the TikTok app on government devices.
Read Florida’s lawsuit against TikTok
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida is suing TikTok. Why, and how the company reacted
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
