Florida Attorney General Sues Netflix for Unauthorized Data Collection from Children

Florida Attorney General, James Uthmeier, has initiated legal proceedings against Netflix in the 7th Judicial Circuit Court of St. Johns County. The lawsuit accuses the streaming giant of gathering behavioral data from minors without parental consent and designing features intended to keep children glued to screens.

The lawsuit claims Netflix systematically recorded user activity among minors—such as what they watch, pause, rewind, search, or leave—and leveraged this data to bolster its advertising business, which started in November 2022.

The state argues that Netflix promoted its kids' profiles as a safe, ad-free environment while actually collecting data over the years for monetization. This, according to the state, constitutes a systematic deception of Florida consumers.

Uthmeier didn't hold back when announcing the lawsuit: "They crafted an addictive platform to keep kids stuck to their screens, then collected detailed data about them without parental approval. Netflix profited while misleading Floridians and must be held accountable."

Allegations of Deceptive Practices

Florida accuses Netflix of violating the state's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA) and the Florida Digital Bill of Rights (FDBR). The lawsuit seeks several remedies, including a permanent injunction, deletion of allegedly misleadingly obtained data, cessation of features like autoplay, and billions in damages, alongside a jury trial.

Netflix responded by stating it "takes privacy seriously," complies with applicable laws, and that the lawsuit "lacks merit," asserting its intention to defend the case in court.

Part of a Broader Crackdown on Big Tech

This action against Netflix is not an isolated incident but part of a larger campaign by the Florida Attorney General's office under the banner "Stop Big Tech Surveillance."

In October 2025, Florida launched its first action under the FDBR against Roku, accusing it of collecting and selling minors' data—including voice recordings, viewing habits, and precise geolocation—without parental consent. That case concluded in June 2026 with an agreement requiring Roku to invest about $25 million in privacy enhancements, without admitting guilt.

In April 2026, the Florida Attorney General's office also filed lawsuits against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, marking the first state litigation against the company, alleging deceptive marketing and data collection from children under 13 without parental consent. Additionally, Florida has pursued legal action against TikTok and Snapchat over failure to comply with age verification requirements.

A Major Precedent in the United States

In August, 52 states agreed to sue Meta, with the company proposing to pay approximately $18 billion to resolve claims related to child addiction and breaches of the federal child privacy law (COPPA). Florida opted out of this agreement to maintain separate actions.

Meta proposed a settlement but denied the allegations against it, asserting "no liability to the plaintiffs." The announcement came during the second week of a federal trial in Oakland, California. The agreed sum is significant but represents a tiny fraction of initial estimates, which speculated penalties as high as $1.4 trillion—a figure Meta deemed "outrageous."

Florida has its own legal framework: HB 3, effective from January 1, 2025, prohibits social media accounts for children under 14 and mandates platforms to verify users' ages and erase data from closed accounts.

The lawsuit against Netflix surfaces as the platform strengthens its advertising model, making this case a litmus test for how far state legal pressure can go against major digital entertainment companies.