Florida Seeks Tougher Meta Rules to Protect Young Users

Florida is asking a state judge to impose stricter protections for young Instagram and Facebook users as it moves forward with its lawsuit against Meta Platforms, rejecting a broader settlement accepted by dozens of other states.

Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a request Wednesday in Pasco County court seeking a temporary injunction against Meta. The proposed order would require the company to identify and remove Florida users under age 14 from its social media platforms while the lawsuit continues.

Florida also wants Meta to limit teenagers to two hours of daily use across its apps. Other requested restrictions include disabling potentially addictive features such as autoplay and infinite scrolling for younger users.

The measures would take effect immediately if approved by the court and remain in force while the legal case proceeds.

Florida's lawsuit alleges that Meta knowingly designed Facebook and Instagram features to encourage addictive behavior among young users while misleading consumers about safeguards on its platforms. The case was one of numerous lawsuits filed by U.S. states over social media's potential impact on children and teenagers.

In August, Meta reached settlements with 48 states and Washington, D.C., agreeing to pay as much as $18 billion and introduce changes affecting teenage users. Meta denied wrongdoing as part of the settlements.

Uthmeier, a Republican, declined to participate in the agreement and instead chose to continue Florida's case. The state criticized the settlement as a "mere slap on the wrist," arguing that it could be viewed by Meta as simply a cost of doing business and may not prevent similar conduct in the future.

Florida's proposed restrictions go further than the measures included in Meta's settlement with the other states. Under the state's request, teenagers would lose access to messaging features after reaching their daily time limit. Meta would also be prohibited from displaying advertisements to young users covered by the restrictions.

The court's decision could determine whether Meta faces significantly tougher youth protections in Florida while the broader lawsuit remains unresolved.