Florida Seeks Meta Restrictions and Ban on Users Under 14
State officials moved to force operational changes on Instagram and Facebook as part of a legal battle over youth safety in the Pasco County court. Investing.com reported that Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a temporary injunction request in state court, asking for strict limitations on minor accounts that go far beyond a nationwide settlement reached earlier by 48 other states.
Florida Seeks Immediate Platform Restrictions for Minors
The state’s newly filed injunction demands that Meta identify and remove all Florida users under the age of 14 from its platforms immediately. Beyond outright removal for the youngest users, the legal filing asks the court to cap daily usage at two hours for remaining minor accounts. It also targets platform mechanics by requiring Meta to disable features like auto-play video and infinite scroll for young users.
These proposed restrictions would take effect immediately if approved by the court and remain in place for the duration of the state’s lawsuit. The action stems from Florida’s refusal to sign onto a broader multi-state agreement brokered in August. While 48 states and Washington, D.C., agreed to a settlement with Meta that included up to 18 billion dollars in financial terms and modified platform controls, Florida officials chose to press forward with their own litigation.
The State Rejects the National Settlement as Insufficient
State filings characterize the multi-state agreement as inadequate for protecting children. According to court documents cited by Investing.com, the Florida attorney general’s office dismissed the national deal as a simple slap on the wrist that companies will treat merely as the cost of doing business. The state argues that the agreed-upon terms fail to prevent addictive product designs.
Meta has consistently denied any wrongdoing across the litigation, even while agreeing to the August terms. The company’s prior settlement payout amounted to roughly three to four months of corporate profits and about one month of revenue. In contrast to those accepted terms, Florida’s new court filing pushes for harder boundaries, including a complete block on minor messaging once daily time limits expire and a total ban on showing advertisements to minor accounts.
Florida Keeps Deceptive Consumer Practice Allegations Active
While the vast majority of U.S. states resolved their coordinated investigations through the summer agreement, Florida’s independent path keeps the underlying allegations of deceptive consumer practices active in state court.