Florida Sues TikTok Over Minor Safety and Law Violations

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a civil lawsuit on June 15, 2026, against TikTok, its parent company ByteDance, and TikTok USDS in St. Lucie County circuit court. The state alleges the platform violated House Bill 3, a 2024 law that prohibits children under 14 from creating accounts and requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds. Uthmeier further claims TikTok violated the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act by misrepresenting the prevalence of mature content, including nudity and depictions of self-harm, and by concealing the app's addictive nature.

The lawsuit seeks to have TikTok declared a public nuisance and requests fines of $50,000 per violation, which could potentially result in billions of dollars in damages. The state is also seeking punitive damages and a court order to force compliance. This action follows similar legal pursuits by Uthmeier against Snapchat, Roblox, and OpenAI, and coincides with a broader trend of over 25 state attorneys general suing TikTok over youth mental health.

TikTok responded by stating it is evaluating the complaint and is prepared to defend its safety record. The company announced it is updating the app to comply with state law and has already notified users under 14 in Florida that their accounts will be suspended.