Florida Sues TikTok for Illegally Allowing Children Under 14 to Create Accounts

(CNA, Washington, 15th – comprehensive international news) Florida's Attorney General filed a lawsuit against TikTok today, accusing the social media platform of violating Florida's law that prohibits social platforms from allowing children under the age of 14 to create accounts.

According to Reuters, the lawsuit was filed in a state-level court in St. Lucie County, Florida. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier accused TikTok of allowing underage users to access the platform and misleading the public about the extent to which young users are exposed to violent or pornographic content.

Uthmeier said in a statement: 'TikTok knowingly deceived parents and exposed children to harmful and inappropriate content, clearly violating Florida law. We have a zero-tolerance policy toward companies that prioritize profits over children's safety.'

According to the complaint, the lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the platform—owned by parent company ByteDance—to make adjustments to comply with local regulations, as well as economic damages.

In response, a TikTok spokesperson issued a statement saying the company continues to communicate with the state attorney general and has notified users under 14 in Florida that their accounts will be deactivated. The spokesperson added that the company is updating its services in Florida in accordance with state law.

TikTok stated it is reviewing the contents of the complaint filed by Florida and preparing to defend its record on youth safety protections.

Currently, over 25 state attorneys general across the U.S. have sued TikTok, alleging that the platform's design causes young users to become addicted, leading to mental health crises among children and adolescents. Most of these lawsuits are based on state consumer protection laws.

TikTok, Meta Platforms—the parent company of Facebook and Instagram—and other social media companies also face thousands of lawsuits from individuals and school districts, accusing these platforms of negatively impacting young users. These companies deny the allegations and say they have implemented extensive measures to protect the safety of teens and young users on their platforms.

The Florida lawsuit cites H.B. 3, a law that prohibits social platforms from allowing children under 14 to create accounts and requires parental consent for minors under 16 to register. The law is set to take effect in January 2025. A federal judge later ruled the law unconstitutional, but that ruling is currently on hold, allowing Florida to enforce the law during the appeal period. (Translation: Tsai Chia-min) 1150616