Appeals court allows Florida to enforce minors’ social media law

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has lifted a lower-court block on Florida’s H.B. 3, allowing the state to enforce its social media restrictions for minors while a constitutional challenge continues. The three-judge panel unanimously vacated the preliminary injunction, finding that the law likely can survive constitutional review. The ruling does not resolve the underlying lawsuit, which will return to federal district court for further proceedings. H.B. 3 bars children under 14 from creating accounts on covered social media platforms and requires parental consent for users who are 14 or 15. It applies to platforms with specified features associated with heavy use, including infinite scrolling and autoplay. The law was signed in 2024. In its opinion, the appeals court said the law implicates the First Amendment but likely regulates platform features rather than the content of users’ speech. The panel said the measure likely survives intermediate scrutiny because it does not burden substantially more speech than necessary to advance the state’s interest in protecting minors from social media addiction.