(NewsNation) — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has announced a new lawsuit against TikTok, accusing it of breaking the state’s child protection law and lying to parents about what their kids see on the app.
The state’s complaint claims TikTok lets children younger than 14 create accounts and fails to get parental consent for 15 and 16-year-olds. Both are required under Florida’s online child protection law.
Uthmeier’s office also accuses the company of misleading parents by downplaying how often kids run into sexual content, drug and alcohol references, and profanity on the app.
State officials say some Florida kids are spending more than eight hours a day on the app. Uthmeier is calling it “a crisis.”
“Today, time is up for TikTok,” he said during a press conference. “TikTok happens to be one of the most egregious social media applications when it comes to the dangers that are there at the fingertips of kids. Harmful sexual content, addictive features. 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.”
His office says TikTok is liable for what could amount of billions of dollars in damages.
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Florida’s online child protection law is one of the strictest in the country
Florida’s online child protection law, HB 3, took effect last year. It’s one of the strictest state laws of its kind in the country.
It bans social media accounts entirely for kids under 14 and requires platforms to get verified parental consent before letting 15 and 16-year-olds sign up.
TikTok has faced multiple lawsuits in more than 25 states for its model.
TikTok has begun suspending accounts
A TikTok spokesperson said the app already has more than 50 safety and privacy settings built in for teens and the company continues to update the platform to stay in line with Florida law.
The spokesperson also said TikTok has been in contact with the attorney general’s office throughout the process.
This week, TikTok began notifying Florida’s users under 14 their accounts will be suspended.
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