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Freedom251 › Blog › child online safety

Florida Asks Court to Force Meta to Change Facebook and Instagram for Teens

By Freedom251 Team · · 5 min read

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Florida has asked a Pasco County judge to order Meta Platforms to change how Facebook and Instagram work for young users, including a two-hour daily cap for teens and removal of users under 14. As of October 8, 2026, the reporting available on the filing does not show that a judge has granted the request. Reuters reported the request on October 7, 2026. Florida wants a temporary injunction that would stay in place while its lawsuit against Meta continues.

What Florida is asking the court to order

According to Reuters, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier asked the court for a temporary injunction in the state’s case against Meta. The requested order would require Meta to:

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  • Identify and remove Florida users under age 14 from Facebook and Instagram.
  • Limit teens to two hours a day across Meta’s apps.
  • Disable autoplay and infinite scroll for teens.
  • Cut off teens’ messaging once their time limits are reached.
  • Prohibit advertising to teens.

Florida asked that these restrictions take effect immediately and remain in place while the lawsuit proceeds. The filing is a request for relief. It is not an order already in force, and the reporting does not describe a hearing date or a judicial response.

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The full text of the state-court motion has not been published in the reporting, so the wording of each requested restriction, including how “identify” and “remove” would work in practice, is not established beyond Reuters’ summary.

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How the request differs from Meta’s August agreement

In August 2026, Meta reached an agreement with attorneys general from 48 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories. Florida did not join. The Associated Press reported that Florida’s attorney general said the settlement was not tough enough, and Reuters reported that Uthmeier chose to continue the state’s own case.

The two tracks are separate. The agreement is a settlement that Meta describes as judge-approved. Florida’s request is an interim order sought in a case that is still pending.

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What the multistate agreement provides

Meta’s published summary of the agreement lists the following teen protections:

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  • A default cumulative two-hour daily limit across Facebook and Instagram. Only a parent can turn this limit off.
  • A default block between midnight and 6 a.m. (Night Mode).
  • Notification muting during school hours, with exceptions for direct messages and account security or safety alerts.
  • Prompts after periods of continuous use.
  • An option for a non-algorithmic feed.
  • Autoplay controls.
  • Age-assurance work and an independent annual compliance review.

Meta’s chief legal officer, C.J. Mahoney, described the deal this way: “I’m pleased to announce that Meta has reached an agreement with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general from around the country on a new set of rules governing teens’ use of social media.” That is Meta’s characterization of the agreement, not a judicial finding.

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How long the terms last

Meta says most terms are to remain in place for ten years. Its time-limit and Night Mode commitments initially run for five years. Meta’s summary also describes a path to stronger defaults and a ten-year commitment if other industry companies join the agreement.

Side-by-side comparison

The table below separates Florida’s requested order from the terms Meta describes in the agreement. Where a source does not address a point, the cell says so rather than assuming a term.

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Issue Florida’s requested order (filed October 2026, per Reuters) Multistate agreement (August 2026, per Meta’s summary)
Users under 14 Identify and remove Florida users under 14 from Facebook and Instagram Not stated in Meta’s summary
Daily time limit Two hours a day across Meta’s apps Default cumulative two hours a day across Facebook and Instagram; only a parent can turn it off
Nighttime Not stated in reporting Default block from midnight to 6 a.m.
School hours Not stated in reporting Notification muting during school hours; exceptions for direct messages and account security or safety alerts
Autoplay Disabled for teens Autoplay controls
Infinite scroll Disabled for teens Not stated in Meta’s summary
Messaging after time limits Cut off once limits are reached Not stated in Meta’s summary
Advertising to teens Prohibited Not stated in Meta’s summary
Continuous-use prompts Not stated in reporting Prompts after periods of continuous use
Age checks and oversight Not stated in reporting Age-assurance work; independent annual compliance review
Legal status Requested temporary injunction; no ruling reported as of October 8, 2026 Settlement that Meta describes as judge-approved
Duration Requested to remain in place while the lawsuit proceeds Most terms ten years; time-limit and Night Mode commitments initially five years

Reuters characterized Florida’s additional restrictions on messaging and advertising as more stringent than the agreement. The agreement’s terms and the requested order should not be treated as the same obligations, and a reader should not assume that a feature listed in one applies under the other.

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Why Florida is pursuing its own case

Florida sued Meta in 2023. The state alleges that Meta knowingly designed features to addict children and teens and misled consumers about platform safety. The state’s announcement framed the claims under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

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Those are allegations by the state. The filing does not establish them as findings, and no court has adjudicated them in the reporting reviewed here.

Florida’s filing described the multistate settlement in sharp terms. As Reuters quoted it, the settlement is a “mere slap on the wrist, will be cynically viewed as the cost of doing business, and in any event will not prevent this kind of behavior going forward.” That is Florida’s characterization in its own filing.

What is and is not established

  • Established: Florida has asked for a temporary injunction with the terms listed above. Reuters reported the request on October 7, 2026.
  • Not established: that any judge has granted the injunction, or that Meta has been ordered to make the changes Florida requested.
  • Established as Meta’s description: the terms of the multistate agreement, which Meta summarized. The reporting does not independently verify how each feature is implemented or when each rolls out.
  • Not established: the prevalence or severity of harm to teens. The number of states in the settlement and the settlement terms describe what the parties agreed to, not how widespread any harm is.

What to watch in the Florida case

  • The Pasco County docket for the motion, any hearing notice, and any written order.
  • Whether a judge grants the request in full, in part, or not at all.
  • If the court acts, whether the order’s language on under-14 users, messaging, and advertising matches the state’s summary.

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child online safetyFacebookFloridaInstagramMetastate attorneys generalteen social mediatemporary injunction

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