Florida social media ban upheld: What the ruling means for minors

A federal appeals court ruled on Oct. 14 that Florida’s 2024 law barring children under 14 from having social media accounts is likely constitutional, overturning a lower court’s preliminary injunction. The unanimous three-judge panel said the measure implicates the First Amendment but likely does so in a content-neutral manner and can survive intermediate scrutiny because it doesn’t burden substantially more speech than necessary to protect minors from social-media addiction. NetChoice, which represents companies including Snapchat, Reddit, YouTube, Pinterest, Google and Meta platforms, is weighing next steps after the Eleventh Circuit’s decision. The bipartisan law allows 14- and 15-year-olds with parental permission and requires age verification and other controls targeting features like unlimited scrolling.