Florida sues Meta to impose stricter teen limits than $18B settlement
Florida Attorney General files suit seeking tougher controls on Meta's teen users.
Why it matters: This lawsuit challenges Meta’s $18 billion multi-state settlement, signaling stronger state-level efforts to regulate social media's impact on youth and raising legal risks for platforms.
- Florida filed for a temporary injunction against Meta on October 7, 2026.
- The injunction demands removing users under 14 from Facebook and Instagram in Florida.
- It proposes a two-hour daily usage limit for teens on all Meta apps.
- Florida rejected the $18 billion settlement involving 29 states, calling it a 'mere slap on the wrist.'
On October 7, 2026, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier petitioned a Pasco County court for a temporary injunction forcing Meta Platforms to make immediate changes to Facebook and Instagram aimed at protecting teen users. The state’s demands include identifying and removing all users under 14 years of age from its platforms within Florida. Alongside this, Florida wants Meta to limit teen usage to just two hours per day across all its apps and disable features like autoplay and infinite scroll for these users.
This legal action directly contradicts the landmark $18 billion settlement Meta agreed to in August 2026 with 29 U.S. states addressing harm to children from allegedly addictive platform designs. That settlement included safeguards such as default private accounts for teens and stronger parental controls, with payments distributed over a 10-year period and partly contingent on similar measures by YouTube and TikTok.
Florida declined to join the settlement, with Attorney General Uthmeier criticizing it as a "mere slap on the wrist" that would be deemed a routine business cost and insufficient to prevent future harm. His lawsuit presses for more immediate and stringent protections, reflecting a different regulatory approach.
This move could set a precedent for states seeking to enforce stricter youth online protections beyond multi-state agreements, adding pressure on social media companies to comply with varied regional requirements and face potential litigation risks.
By the numbers:
- $18 billion — settlement amount Meta agreed to pay 29 states in August 2026
- 2 hours per day — proposed daily limit on teen usage across Meta apps in Florida injunction
- Under 14 — age below which Florida seeks Meta to remove users from its platforms
What's next: The timeline for the court's decision on Florida's injunction request remains unclear.