Florida has petitioned a state court to mandate significant changes to Instagram and Facebook aimed at enhancing protections for young users. This move advances a lawsuit against Meta Platforms, accusing the company of harming teenagers, even as most other states have resolved similar claims through a broad settlement.
In a filing submitted to a Pasco County court on Wednesday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier requested a temporary injunction requiring Meta to identify and remove users under the age of 14 from its platforms within the state. Additionally, the filing demands that teens be limited to two hours of usage daily across all Meta apps and that features such as autoplay and infinite scroll be disabled for these users. The requested changes are to be implemented immediately and maintained throughout the duration of the lawsuit.
Meta has not issued an immediate response to the filing. The Florida lawsuit alleges that Meta deliberately designed its platforms to be addictive for young users and misled consumers about the safety of its services. This case is among dozens of similar lawsuits filed nationwide by various states.
In August, Meta reached settlements with 48 states and Washington, D.C., agreeing to pay up to $18 billion and to introduce changes aimed at protecting teen users. Meta stated it prioritizes teen safety on its platforms and denied any wrongdoing while agreeing to the settlement. The payout represents roughly three to four months of Meta’s profit and about one month of its revenue.
Attorney General Uthmeier, a Republican, chose not to join the settlement and is pursuing the lawsuit independently. Florida’s filing criticized the settlement as a “mere slap on the wrist” that would be perceived as a routine business expense and insufficient to prevent future misconduct.
The proposed changes sought by Florida are more rigorous than those outlined in the settlement. They include cutting off teens’ access to messaging once their daily time limits are reached and prohibiting Meta from showing advertisements to these users. Uthmeier’s office argued that since Meta agreed to some changes in the settlement, the stricter measures Florida requests are feasible.
Leave an opinion