Florida accuses TikTok of violating child safety law

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Florida sued TikTok on Monday, alleging that the platform violates the Sunshine State’s child safety law that bans children under 14 years of age from all social media platforms.

Parental consent is required for 15 and 16 year-olds to create social media accounts, as outlined under House Bill 3.

The lawsuit led by Attorney General James Uthmeier says the platform, owned by ByteDance, also falsely advertises that mature themes on the app ranging from sex content, drug content, profanity, self-harm/suicide and eating disorders are “mild” or “infrequent.”

“TikTok has also knowingly designed its platform, accessible via app and desktop site, to be addictive to children and teens; created app features that prey upon young people’s unique psychological vulnerabilities; and overridden young people’s autonomy to decide how much time to spend on TikTok’s platform through mechanisms that encourage compulsive use,” the lawsuit says.

“Addiction is TikTok’s business model,” it argues, flagging that advertising revenue is generated through consistent use.

TikTok did not immediately respond to request for comment regarding the lawsuit.

However, the company has faced multiple lawsuits in more than 25 states for its interface model.

“We have zero tolerance for companies that prioritize profit over children’s safety,” Uthmeier said in a written statement.

“TikTok should expect to be held accountable,” he added.

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