Florida The U.S. state of Florida has stepped up legal action against Meta over the safety of teenagers on Facebook and Instagram, asking a court on Wednesday to order immediate changes to the company’s platforms. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier asked a Pasco County court to require Meta to identify and remove users under the age of 14 from Facebook and Instagram in the state.
The filing also seeks a daily two-hour limit on teenagers’ use of the platforms. The proposed limit would apply to their combined use of Facebook and Instagram. Florida is also asking the court to require Meta to disable features such as autoplay and infinite scroll for teenage users. The state wants the measures to remain in place while its lawsuit against the company proceeds and is seeking a temporary injunction to enforce them immediately.
Florida’s move comes after most other U.S. states resolved similar cases against Meta through a settlement. In August, Meta reached an agreement with 48 states and Washington, D.C. Under the settlement, the company agreed to pay up to $18 billion and make several changes aimed at protecting teenage users on its platforms.
Florida chose not to join the multistate settlement and instead decided to continue pursuing its own lawsuit. The state has accused Meta of knowingly designing its platforms to be highly engaging and addictive for young users and of misleading consumers about the safety of its services.
The measures sought in Florida’s latest filing are more stringent than those Meta previously agreed to under the multistate settlement. Florida wants messaging access to be cut off for teenagers once they reach the daily time limit. It is also seeking a ban on showing advertisements to teenage users. State officials argue that the changes Meta agreed to as part of the settlement demonstrate that additional restrictions on the company’s platforms are technically possible.
Florida also criticized the multistate settlement in its court filing. The state argued that the financial penalty could simply be viewed as a cost of doing business by the company and may not be sufficient to prevent similar conduct in the future. On that basis, Florida has asked the court to impose its proposed restrictions while the broader lawsuit continues.
Meta has opposed Florida’s request. A company spokesperson said that after reaching a settlement with nearly every other state, Florida should focus its efforts on other social media platforms. The company specifically referred to YouTube and TikTok, arguing that the attorney general should use state resources to push those platforms to empower parents and protect teenagers in Florida.
Meta also rejected Florida’s request for a preliminary injunction, calling it a meritless attempt to intervene years into the litigation. The company has denied wrongdoing in the case and has said it works to keep teenagers safe on its platforms.
Florida’s lawsuit is among dozens filed by U.S. states over the effects of social media on children and teenagers. The cases have raised questions about platform design, the amount of time young users spend online, advertising practices and the effectiveness of safety measures.
The latest filing puts the focus on whether Meta should be required to make significant changes to Facebook and Instagram before the lawsuit is resolved. The court will now consider Florida’s request for immediate restrictions, including age-based removal, daily time limits, disabling engagement-focused features and restrictions on advertising and messaging for teenage users.
