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In June 2026, Florida’s Attorney General filed a civil lawsuit against TikTok, alleging that the company violated the state’s law restricting minors’ access to social media. The law bans accounts for children under 14 and requires parental consent for 15- and 16-year-olds. The lawsuit also claims that TikTok misleads parents about the risks of allowing teenagers to use the platform, including exposure to harmful content and addictive features.
Companies
TikTok (part of ByteDance)
- Platform
Affected
Total individuals affected:
Number unknown
Children: (
Number unknown
- United States of America
- Sector unknown
, Gender not reported
)
,
Consumer: (
Number unknown
- United States of America
- Sector unknown
, Gender not reported
)
“Florida lawsuit accuses TikTok of violating state’s child social media ban”, 15 June 2026
Florida became the latest state to sue TikTok on Monday after the attorney general accused the company of violating a state law that limits social media access for teenagers…
Florida enacted a state law last year that bans children under 14 from using social media platforms and requires 15- and 16-year-olds to have their parents permission before creating accounts. Monday’s civil lawsuit, which was filed in St Lucie county, argues that TikTok violated this law, and “is actively deceiving Florida parents about the risks of allowing their teens to access this platform”…
TikTok has said it is evaluating the state’s complaint and continuing to update their platform in Florida in response to state law. “TikTok is built with safety at its core,” a company spokesperson said in a statement…
The social media company has already been sued by roughly two dozen state attorneys general over claims about the addictive nature of its feed, and its harmful mental health effects on children.
Amnesty International USA’s Deputy Director of Research, Justin Mazzola, said: "The settlement is a turning point not just for Meta, but all social media. Social media platforms must now change how they operate and fix their harmful features to protect children and young people."
Meta and a coalition of US state attorneys general have agreed to a proposed settlement of claims alleging the company designed addictive social media products that harmed children. The agreement was reached during the second week of the first federal trial testing the states’ claims. Under the settlement, Meta will pay up to USD 17bn and introduce measures aimed at protecting teenage users.
The first federal trial against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, over claims brought by state attorneys general that its platforms harm children opens on 18 August. The trial will examine claims by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey under their consumer protection laws, as well as claims by 29 states under the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
A US federal appeals court has cleared the way for more than 3,000 legal claims against major social media companies, including Meta, Google and TikTok, to continue. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that it was too early to consider the companies' appeal.
Meta, Instagram’s parent company, is facing a jury trial in Tennessee state court over allegations by the state’s attorney general that it designed the platform to be addictive and misled the public about its risks to teenagers.
The city of Boston is filing a lawsuit against Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap on behalf of the city’s public schools over allegations that their addictive features are causing mental health harms to students. The lawsuit will be consolidated with the thousands of similar lawsuits brought by school districts from all over the country in the proceedings followed before a federal court in California.
On 29 June 2026, a federal judge rejected Meta's bid to dismiss a lawsuit brought by 29 state attorney generals. These attorney generals allege that social media platforms created by Meta were designed to be addictive to minors and that Meta knowingly concealed the addictive nature of their products from the public. A test trial is scheduled for 18 August 2026, which represents one track of this federal multi-district litigation.
Florida’s Attorney General has filed a civil lawsuit against TikTok, alleging that the company violated the state’s law restricting minors’ access to social media. The law bans accounts for children under 14 and requires parental consent for 15- and 16-year-olds. The lawsuit also claims that TikTok misleads parents about the risks of allowing teenagers to use the platform, including exposure to harmful content and addictive features.
A Washington school district has joined a growing federal lawsuit against social media companies, alleging their platform designs harm students’ mental health and contribute to widespread damage among children.
Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube have agreed to pay about USD27m to settle a lawsuit brought by a Kentucky school district over alleged harms to students’ mental health from social media platforms. The case was the first federal test case selected from wider litigation against social media companies involving about 1,200 school districts across the US, and had been scheduled to go to trial in June.
Meta has joined TikTok, Snap and YouTube in settling claims brought by a Kentucky school district alleging that the companies designed addictive social media platforms that harmed students’ mental health. The case was the first federal test case selected from wider litigation against social media companies involving about 1,200 school districts across the US, and had been scheduled to go to trial in June. The next school-district test case, brought by Tucson Unified School District, is scheduled for early 2027.
Snap, YouTube, and TikTok have agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a Kentucky school district alleging that the platforms are impacting the students' mental health. The financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, is not part of the settlement and will face trial in June.
Hartford County Public Schools sued Meta, Google, ByteDance and Snap Inc. in 2023, alleging that the companies' addictive products impacted nearly 40,000 students, putting pressure on the district to provide more mental health resources. School districts across the U.S. have joined the federal class action lawsuit. A US District Judge chose six school systems to serve as bellwethers, or test cases that will go to trial first, ahead of the others.
The judge ruled the companies were not immune from the lawsuit under federal law and that they owed a duty of care to their users. However, the judge found this duty did not extend to harm emanating from third-party platform users.
States in the United States of America have joined forces to sue Meta for the alleged impact Instagram and Facebook have on children and young people. The complaint claims that the company exploits young users for profit following an investigation conducted in 2021 into claims that Meta contributes to mental health issues among young people.
Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against TikTok, Alphabet Inc., Meta Platforms and Snap Inc. The implicated social media companies are challenging the assertion that their services are harming children's mental health.
Multiple cases have been filed by school districts and local governments alleging that social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok and Youtube harm children and teenagers' mental health.
The US Surgeon General has issued a 25-page advisory warning that social media poses a significant risk to children's mental health and well-being, citing evidence of negative outcomes such as depression and anxiety.
Seattle’s public school district is suing TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube claiming that social media worsen a growing youth mental health crisis that interferes with teachers’ ability to do their jobs and overwhelms schools pressuring its limited resources.
