11th Circuit Court Allows Florida to Enforce Minor Social Media Law

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a preliminary injunction on Wednesday, permitting Florida to enforce HB3, a 2024 law that restricts how minors use social media. The ruling concludes that the state's restrictions likely pass constitutional review because they target platform features and account access rather than specific content or viewpoints.

Under HB3, children under 14 are prohibited from creating accounts on platforms that employ algorithms, autoplay, push notifications, and infinite scrolling. For 14- and 15-year-olds, the law requires parental consent for account creation. The court applied intermediate scrutiny to the case, determining that Florida has an important interest in protecting children from social media addiction.

The decision follows a legal challenge from NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association. These technology trade groups argued that the law violates the First Amendment by limiting access to protected speech. By focusing on the addictive nature of platform design rather than the speech itself, the court found the law permissible.