Florida’s Attorney General, James Uthmeier, has launched a lawsuit against Snap Inc., accusing the tech company of failing to protect minors on its popular platform, Snapchat. The case, filed in Santa Rosa County Circuit Court, revolves around allegations that Snapchat violates Florida’s new House Bill 3 (HB 3), a law aimed at shielding children from harmful online experiences.



HB 3 prohibits users under 14 from having social media accounts and mandates parental consent for those aged 14 and 15. According to the lawsuit, Snapchat’s current system inadequately enforces these requirements, allowing many minors to join without proper age verification. Florida officials argue that features such as endless scrolling, auto-playing videos, and disappearing messages are deliberately designed to make the app addictive to young users, raising serious mental health concerns.



Moreover, the lawsuit claims that Snapchat exposes underage users to inappropriate content like pornography and drug-related materials. Features such as "Find Friends" allegedly facilitate risky interactions between minors and unknown adults.



Snap Inc. has pushed back, maintaining that HB 3 infringes on constitutional free speech rights. The company argues that more effective online safety measures should be implemented at the device or operating system level rather than through state-imposed regulations on individual apps.



With penalties of up to $50,000 per violation on the line, the outcome of this case could reshape the future of how social media platforms handle youth access.



For those wanting safer or more regulated profiles, many users are opting to Buy Verified Snapchat Accounts, ensuring more control over account setup and compliance with local laws.



This legal battle comes at a time when HB 3 itself faces broader challenges in federal court, with tech industry groups like NetChoice arguing the law is unconstitutional. As the debate rages on, other platforms could soon find themselves under similar scrutiny from Florida’s Attorney General.