Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit against TikTok on Monday, alleging the social media company violates Florida law by actively targeting minors, deceiving parents, and employing addictive design features.
The complaint centers on alleged violations of House Bill 3, a Florida online child protection law that took effect on Jan. 1, 2025. Under this law, social media platforms are prohibited from allowing children under 14 to create accounts and must secure parental consent before allowing 15- and 16-year-olds to register. The state alleges TikTok is currently letting users in both age groups bypass these rules without the required consent.
“TikTok’s success hinges on its ability to addict children and teenagers to the platform,” Attorney General James Uthmeier said. “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 also accuses the platform of violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. According to the state, TikTok misleads parents about the safety of its content. While the app is advertised on app stores as appropriate for children 13 and older—characterizing themes like drug content, profanity, self-harm, and sexual content as “mild” and “infrequent”—the state claims this is blatantly false. The complaint argues that these mature themes appear on the app very frequently and often in graphic detail.
State officials further allege that TikTok’s underlying business model is deliberately built to prey upon the addictive behaviors of its younger audience. The lawsuit claims that the company has been internally aware of the dangers its platform poses to children for years but has knowingly ignored those risks to keep young users scrolling.
State Representative Chip LaMarca voiced his support for the legal action following the announcement.
“The State of Florida stands with families in protecting our children from the abuses of addictive social media apps,” said LaMarca. “Thank you to the AG for pursuing the fight against these bad actors.”
The lawsuit was filed in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court in St. Lucie County. The state is seeking injunctive relief, civil penalties, and other statutory relief against TikTok and its parent companies.
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