Florida asks court to force Meta to change Facebook, Instagram for teens
In a filing in a Pasco County court, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier asked for a temporary injunction forcing Meta to identify and remove users in the state under the age of 14 from those platforms, limit teens there to two hours a day across all apps and turn off features like autoplay and infinite scroll for them.
Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier requested on Wednesday that a judge in Pasco County issue an injunction compelling Meta Platforms to alter Instagram and Facebook to safeguard young users. This legal action follows Florida's decision to pursue a lawsuit against Meta, claiming the company has harmed teenagers by knowingly designing addictive platforms and deceiving consumers about their safety.
This lawsuit joins numerous similar cases filed by states across the nation. In August, Meta settled with 48 other states and Washington, D.C., agreeing to pay up to $18 billion and implement modifications for teen users of its platforms. According to Uthmeier, the settlement is a token punishment and insufficient to prevent future misconduct.
The attorney general's proposed changes are more stringent than those included in the settlement, as they would terminate teens' access to messaging after their allotted time and prohibit the company from displaying advertisements to them. Meta countered that the changes specified in the settlement demonstrate that adjustments are feasible. However, the attorney general's office contends that the modifications are inadequate.
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