Florida Asks Judge to Remove Instagram and Facebook Users Under 14 and Impose an Overnight Teen Lockout

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If granted, the changes would take effect while the case continues, not after a trial. That makes the request one of the most direct attempts yet to reshape how Florida teens use social media, from bedtime habits to daily screen limits.

The state’s claims that the platforms harm young users’ mental health are allegations that have not been proven in court. Meta disputes them and has called the request meritless.

According to WUSF’s report on the filing, the state wants a “quiet mode” that blocks everything but account settings overnight, plus a 60-hour monthly cap across Facebook and Instagram. A similar New Mexico case led to a 90-hour cap. Florida also asks the court to bar deceptive statements about safety, end features it calls addictive, stop ads promoting the apps to young people and require Meta to report its progress to the court.

A Reuters report on Florida’s injunction request said the filing also seeks a two-hour daily limit across apps, a cutoff of messaging once limits are reached and an end to autoplay and infinite scroll for teens. Reuters described those terms as stricter than a multistate settlement Meta reached in August.

The motion points to New Mexico, where Meta imposed restrictions on minor accounts after a separate case, as proof that such changes are workable. Florida’s version would go further, with a lower monthly cap and outright removal of users under 14.

Florida and New Mexico were the only states that did not join that roughly $18 billion settlement, which covered 48 states and the District of Columbia. Uthmeier has said the deal did not go far enough. “Meta built Instagram and Facebook to keep kids scrolling,” he wrote on X, as quoted by JURIST.

The state’s motion for a temporary injunction alleges that Meta’s platforms contributed to anxiety, depression, self-harm, sleep deprivation, eating disorders, and unwanted sexual advances among young users. It cites the U.S. Surgeon General, independent studies, and Meta’s own internal research. The motion also quotes an internal Meta document stating, “We lack a U13 classifier, insufficient means to detect and remove U13s at scale.”

None of these claims has been tested at trial. Research on teens and social media generally shows associations between heavy use and poorer mental health and sleep, but it does not prove that one platform directly caused a specific child’s illness. The overnight lockout is the state’s attempt to target sleep loss, one of the harms it alleges.

In a statement given to Politico and reported by WUSF, Meta said of Uthmeier, “We regret that he has chosen instead to pursue a meritless preliminary injunction years into the litigation.” The company said restricting one platform simply pushes teens to others and argued the attorney general should focus on getting YouTube and TikTok to offer similar parental tools.

Meta denied wrongdoing when it agreed to the multistate settlement. Earlier in the Florida case, after a Pasco County judge refused to dismiss the lawsuit, the company asked a state appeals court to intervene, arguing that federal Section 230 protections and the First Amendment shield its design choices.

The case also sits alongside a 2024 Florida law, known as HB 3, that bars children under 14 from certain social media platforms and requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds. Tech industry groups challenged the law in federal court, but in November 2025, a federal appeals court allowed Florida to enforce the law while the challenge continues.

Uthmeier has also targeted other platforms. In June, he sued TikTok in St. Lucie County, alleging it illegally allows minors on the platform and misleads parents about harmful content. Together, the cases show Florida pressing more than one company, even as Meta argues the state should look beyond its apps.

No court had ruled on the motion, and no hearing date had been reported as of Oct. 12. Until a judge acts, nothing changes on Florida teens’ accounts, and any order could be appealed.

For families, the case is a prompt rather than a rule. Parents can review the teen account and supervision settings already built into Instagram and Facebook, set phone-free bedtimes and talk with children about how the apps make them feel. Changes in sleep, mood, eating or school performance are worth raising with a pediatrician or mental health professional. Anyone in crisis can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

MedicalDaily will follow the court’s response, including any hearing on the injunction and any move by Meta to block it.

What is Florida asking for? A temporary order requiring Meta to verify ages, remove users under 14, block most teen app use from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., cap monthly use at 60 hours and disable features the state calls addictive.

Is the order in effect? No. A judge has not ruled, and no hearing date had been reported as of Oct. 12.

Has it been proven that Instagram harms teens’ mental health? No. Those are allegations in a lawsuit. Meta denies them, and no court has made that finding.

Why didn’t Florida join the national settlement? Uthmeier said the roughly $18 billion settlement did not go far enough to protect children.

What has Meta said? Meta called the request meritless and said the state should press YouTube and TikTok to give parents similar tools.

What can parents do now? Review in-app teen controls, set device-free sleep hours and contact a pediatrician if a child shows lasting changes in mood, sleep or eating.