TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has sued TikTok, alleging the social media platform violated state law by targeting minors and misleading parents about the risks children face on the app.<\/p>\n
\u201cTikTok\u2019s success hinges on its ability to addict children and teenagers to the platform,\u201d Uthmeier said. \u201cTikTok 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\u2019s safety. TikTok should expect to be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The complaint alleges TikTok violated House Bill 3, Florida\u2019s online child protections law, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2025. Under the law, children under 14 are banned from social media platforms, and 15- and 16-year-olds must have parental consent to create accounts.<\/p>\n
Uthmeier\u2019s lawsuit accuses TikTok of allowing children under 14 to create accounts and allowing 15- and 16-year-olds to do so without parental consent, which the complaint says violates H.B. 3.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit also alleges TikTok violated the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act by deceiving parents about the safety and appropriateness of content available to children. The complaint points to TikTok\u2019s app store description, which says the app is appropriate for children 13 and older, and alleges TikTok characterizes mature themes \u2014 including sex content, drug content, profanity, self-harm\/suicide and eating disorders \u2014 as \u201cmild\u201d and \u201cinfrequent.\u201d The complaint alleges that claim is false and that those themes appear frequently on the app and are often shown or discussed in graphic detail.<\/p>\n
The complaint further alleges TikTok deliberately targets children as intended users and that its business model is designed to exploit addictive behaviors, which children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable to. Uthmeier also alleges TikTok has been internally aware of dangers to children for years and knowingly ignored them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe State of Florida stands with families in protecting our children from the abuses of addictive social media apps,\u201d said Rep. Chip LaMarca. \u201cThank you to the AG for pursuing the fight against these bad actors.\u201d<\/p>\n
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