Florida has launched a major legal battle against TikTok, accusing the social media giant of deceiving parents, exposing children to harmful content and ignoring state laws designed to protect young users.
Standing before reporters in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier described the lawsuit as part of a broader campaign to hold technology companies accountable for what he called the growing harm caused to children online.
“This is the next step in our effort to protect our kids,” Uthmeier said. “We’ve been very busy going after anyone who wants to subject our little ones to harm.”
The civil complaint, filed in St. Lucie County, seeks financial penalties, damages and court-ordered changes to TikTok’s platform. At the heart of the case is Florida’s 2024 social media law, which bars children under 14 from holding social media accounts and requires parental consent for 14 and 15-year-olds.
State lawyers allege TikTok has continued allowing underage users onto the platform despite those restrictions.
“This is a civil lawsuit,” Uthmeier stressed. “It’s focused on two things — deceiving parents and the real harms that are out there for kids.”
Florida officials argue TikTok’s success is built on a design deliberately engineered to keep young users engaged for as long as possible.
Unlimited scrolling. Constant notifications. Videos that never stop.
“They designed the application with unlimited scrolling, push notifications, videos that just go nonstop,” Uthmeier said. “It’s designed to keep kids stuck on those screens for hours and hours a day.”
The lawsuit claims TikTok uses sophisticated algorithms and engagement tools to maximize user attention, particularly among children and teenagers.
According to the Attorney General’s office, evidence gathered during the investigation suggests some young users spend six, seven or even eight hours a day on the platform.
But the state’s allegations go beyond screen time.
The complaint accuses TikTok of downplaying the prevalence of content involving sex, drugs and profanity, while presenting itself as a safer environment for young users than investigators say it actually is.
“They advertise that they’re safe for kids, but it doesn’t take long, just a few searches,” Uthmeier said. “There’s a lot of sexual vulgar content there.”
The lawsuit also points to concerns over self-harm content, mental health issues linked to excessive social media use and the risks posed by online predators targeting minors.
“We have evidence of young people looking for ways to engage in self-harm, suffering from mental disorders due to addictions to these platforms and, in the worst cases, hurting themselves,” Uthmeier said.
Florida is also arguing that TikTok’s conduct contributes to a wider public health problem and could amount to a public nuisance under state law.
The legal challenge is one of the most aggressive actions taken by Florida against a social media company and could have implications well beyond the state’s borders.
For Uthmeier, the lawsuit is not simply about TikTok.
It’s a warning shot to the entire industry.
“Time is up for TikTok and everybody else that falls under this law,” he said. “We will be enforcing it. We will be holding them accountable for damages and injunctive relief to change their programming and stop hurting our kids.”
And if Florida succeeds?
The financial consequences could be enormous.
“TikTok is looking at potentially billions in damages,” Uthmeier warned.
TikTok has not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit.