Florida Sues TikTok to Enforce Child Social Media Restrictions Amid Wider Tech Crackdown

June 16, 2026

Mintesinot Nigussie

State officials in Florida have filed a civil lawsuit against TikTok, escalating efforts to enforce a 2024 law restricting social media access for children and intensifying a broader legal confrontation with major technology platforms.

The complaint, lodged on Monday in St. Lucie County circuit court, seeks to compel compliance with state rules that limit social media use for minors under 14 and require parental consent for users aged 14 and 15. The law, initially blocked in federal court, was cleared for enforcement in November following legal challenges from tech companies.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who brought the case, said TikTok could face “potentially billions in damages,” alleging the platform misled parents while exposing children to harmful content. He said enforcement action against the company could be a precursor to further legal steps against other social media platforms.

“Time is up for TikTok,” Uthmeier said at a Monday event, describing the platform as one of the most concerning social media applications in terms of risks faced by children.

The legislation at the centre of the dispute does not name specific companies, instead targeting platforms with “addictive features,” including infinite scrolling, and those where at least 10 percent of users are under 16 and spend more than two hours daily on average.

State officials said enforcement efforts have included undercover monitoring of online activity. Uthmeier claimed some minors continue to spend extended periods on the app despite restrictions, in some cases up to eight hours per day.

He said Meta had taken steps toward compliance, including removing “hundreds of thousands” of accounts linked to underage users, while accusing TikTok of failing to adequately prevent access to content involving pornography, self-harm and other harmful material.

TikTok rejected the allegations, saying it maintains strong safety and privacy protections for teenagers and will defend its record in court. The company said it had engaged with Florida authorities in good faith and had begun notifying users under the age of 14 in the state that their accounts would be suspended.

“We’re continuing to update our platform in Florida in response to state law,” TikTok said in a statement.

Uthmeier, appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2025, has emerged as a leading figure in Florida’s legal push against technology companies, also pursuing cases involving OpenAI and Roblox, alongside a separate lawsuit against Snapchat tied to child safety concerns.