Florida Sues TikTok Over Alleged Violations of Child Social Media Law

Florida filed a civil lawsuit against TikTok on Monday, June 15, 2026, alleging the platform violates the state's child safety law that bars children under 14 from social media and requires parental consent for 15- and 16-year-olds. The complaint, filed in St. Lucie County, asserts that TikTok continues to allow children to access the app despite the restrictions enacted last year.

The lawsuit claims TikTok knowingly designed features that encourage compulsive use, including unlimited scrolling and push notifications. It further alleges the platform exposes children to harmful sexual content and falsely tells parents that mature material such as drugs, nudity, alcohol, and profanity appears infrequently.

The suit states that an honest assessment of content on the platform would warrant an over-16 or over-18 age rating rather than the current over-13 designation.

At a press conference, the attorney general said evidence indicates many children spend six, seven, eight or more hours a day on the app. "It's designed to keep kids stuck on those screens for hours," the attorney general said. The lawsuit states that "Addiction is TikTok's business model," noting that advertising revenue depends on consistent engagement.

TikTok said it is evaluating the state's complaint and continuing to update its platform in Florida in response to state law. "TikTok is built with safety at its core," a company spokesperson said in a statement. The company has faced multiple lawsuits in more than 25 states over its interface model.