U.S. FEDCourt order
Eleventh Circuit lets Florida enforce social media limits for children under 14
A three-judge Eleventh Circuit panel on October 14, 2026 reversed and vacated a preliminary injunction against Florida's HB 3, holding the law likely constitutional as applied to members of the Computer & Communications Industry Association. The panel said HB 3 is likely content-neutral and survives intermediate scrutiny. HB 3 bars children under 14 from opening accounts on platforms with certain addictive features and requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds.
Order (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit) → · Florida Phoenix, NetChoice
Key points
- Judge Kevin Newsom, joined by Judges Robert Luck and Gerald Tjoflat, wrote that HB 3 implicates the First Amendment but likely in a content-neutral way.U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh CircuitFlorida Phoenix
- The panel said the law likely survives intermediate scrutiny as a tailored measure to protect minors from social media addiction.U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh CircuitFlorida Phoenix
- Newsom described HB 3 as a conditional ban on platforms' use of addictive features and algorithms, not an outright prohibition.U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh CircuitFlorida Phoenix
- Covered features include push notifications, infinite scrolling and auto-play.U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh CircuitFlorida Phoenix
- NetChoice said it is evaluating all of its options after the ruling.NetChoice
Sources3 articles across 3 outlets
Florida Phoenix
NetChoice
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Filed under
Court orderU.S.Fla.Florida HB 3 (2024): Social Media Use for MinorsCivil rightsConsumer protectionTechnologyFor practitionersFor governance