Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued TikTok on Monday, accusing the app of violating state law by allowing minors access to inappropriate content and deceiving parents. The lawsuit claims that TikTok illegally permits children to view dangerous content “while prioritizing user engagement and profits,” and that the app breaches Florida’s House Bill 3, which became effective January 1, 2025. The bill is meant to protect minors by requiring social media platforms to prohibit those under 14 from creating new accounts. But according to the new lawsuit, TikTok is allowing 13-year-olds and younger to create accounts. Additionally, Uthmeier says the app violates the bill by permitting teenagers of age to create an account without parental consent.  “The lawsuit is focused on two things — deceiving parents and the real harms that are out there for kids,”  Uthmeier said.  TikTok claims to be an app appropriate for children, saying its content will not contain any “focus on fear or suffering, profanity or vulgarity, serious violence, dangerous behavior, or threatening imagery, including blood, sexually suggestive content, explicit references to mature or complex themes.” However, Florida’s lawsuit says that these themes appear regularly on the app and “often in graphic detail” — a violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and a deception to parents. The lawsuit further claims that TikTok knew about these dangers posed to children and refused to address them. “TikTok knowingly deceives parents and allows children to be exposed to harmful and inappropriate content in direct violation of Florida law,” Uthmeier said. “We have zero tolerance for companies that prioritize profit over children’s safety.” According to Uthmeier, the app violated the law in order to keep the money flowing. “TikTok’s success hinges on its ability to addict children and teenagers to the platform,” he added.  The app functions on an “algorithm-driven feed” — a ranking system that places videos and posts in an order the user is most likely to enjoy. The design boosts time spent on the app, especially for younger users.  “TikTok happens to be one of the most egregious social media applications when it comes to the dangers that are there at the fingertips of kids,” Uthmeier said. The social media company has not responded to these allegations.