Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued TikTok on Monday, accusing the social media company of illegally allowing children to access the platform while deceiving parents about the content and risks.
The lawsuit described TikTok's conduct as "particularly egregious," alleging the company continues to market the app as safe for users as young as 13 despite knowing children can easily access mature content and addictive platform features.
"TikTok's success hinges on its ability to addict children and teenagers to the platform," Uthmeier said in announcing the lawsuit.
The complaint alleged that TikTok is violating Florida's online child protection law, House Bill 3, by allowing children younger than 14 to create accounts and by permitting those 14 and 15 to open accounts without parental consent.
Florida alleged that TikTok knowingly continues those practices despite a state law that took effect in January 2025.
The lawsuit also accused TikTok of misleading parents through app store ratings and descriptions that characterize sexual content, nudity, profanity, drug references, and mature themes as "infrequent" or "mild."
According to the complaint, those representations are false because such content is widespread on the platform and readily accessible to young users.
Florida alleged that its investigation found that videos involving sexual content, drug use, alcohol, profanity, and other mature subjects can be viewed by users registered as young as 13 and are often promoted through TikTok's recommendation system.
"TikTok has built one of the world's most popular social media platforms on the back of deception about the content on its platform, the mental health problems it causes in young people, and open defiance of Florida law," the complaint stated.
Florida further alleged that "addiction is TikTok's business model" and that the company intentionally designed features including infinite scrolling, autoplay videos, livestreaming, push notifications, and personalized recommendations to maximize the time children spend on the platform.
The lawsuit cited internal company statements allegedly acknowledging that compulsive use can interfere with sleep, school responsibilities, and relationships, while contributing to anxiety and other mental health concerns.
The state also challenged TikTok's Restricted Mode and Family Pairing tools, alleging that it did not effectively prevent minors from viewing mature content despite company claims that the features improve safety.
In addition to alleged violations of House Bill 3, Florida accused TikTok of violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and creating a public nuisance that harms children, families and communities across the state.
The lawsuit seeks court orders to require TikTok to comply with state law, along with civil penalties, punitive damages, restitution and other relief.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, invited the CEO of TikTok and several other technology platforms to testify before the committee next week as lawmakers intensify their review of online safety and the impact social media platforms have on children and families.
Grassley said the legislative focus is on online safety and corporate accountability.