# Florida seeks ban on social media for children under 14

Source: https://yoursolicitor.com/news/florida-seeks-ban-on-social-media-for-children-under-14

[YourSolicitor News](https://yoursolicitor.com/news)Social media harm · Courts · Law

United States · reported

# Florida seeks ban on social media for children under 14

The state is also reported to be looking at a two-hour daily limit on digital devices for children and teenagers, though it is not yet clear what response the proposal has received.

By **YourSolicitor News Team**Published 9 October 2026Last checked 15 October 20264 min read917 wordsWritten from 6 outlets

The US state of Florida is reported to be seeking a change in the law that would prohibit children under 14 from using social media, according to information circulated on social networks and picked up by Mexican news outlets this week.

The proposal also includes a second measure aimed at older children. Under the reported plan, the state is asking for support in finding a way to limit the use of mobile phones, tablets, computers and other digital devices to two hours a day for children and teenagers.

The reports, published on 9 October 2026, say the state wants the judicial branch of the United States to reform the laws so that the under-14 ban on social media can take effect. What form that request has taken, and whether any court or legislature has responded, is not yet known.

The outlets reporting the story said they could not confirm whether Florida has already received an answer on the proposed reform, nor whether specific cases of violence prompted the decision. The reports gave no named official, agency or court document as the origin of the plan, saying only that the news emerged through social media.

The stated reasoning, as described in the reports, is that children who have access to these platforms are put at risk of becoming victims of criminals and hostile individuals, and may suffer aggression, harassment or identity theft, among other harms.

Florida is described as the most recent of a number of states in different countries to seek restrictions of this kind. Those jurisdictions, according to the reports, have argued that social media and the internet pose a danger to minors, and have moved to restrict the use of technology by children in order to protect them from those risks.

The reports state that several states in different countries have already begun seeking a ban on, or restrictions to, social media and internet use for minors. No timetable for the Florida proposal, and no response from any court or authority, has been reported.

## Update, 15 October 2026

The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed Florida to enforce its law, H.B. 3, which bans children under 14 from creating accounts on social media platforms using design features such as infinite scrolling and video autoplay, overturning a previous temporary block. The judges reasoned that the law regulates the architecture of the technology rather than users' speech. Platforms including Meta Platforms, [TikTok](https://yoursolicitor.com/tiktok-claim) and Snap Inc. must now implement age-verification systems, while allegations that Snap failed to comply by allowing children under 13 to hold accounts have been sent back to a state court. Industry groups including NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association are expected to evaluate further legal options.

The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals released its unanimous opinion on 14 October 2026, a 47-page ruling by Judge Kevin Newsom joined by Judges Robert Luck and Gerald Tjoflat. The court found that H.B. 3, a 2024 law, does burden First Amendment rights but upheld it under intermediate scrutiny as protecting minors from [social media addiction](https://yoursolicitor.com/the-case), with 14 and 15 year olds able to use platforms with parental consent. The ruling reverses a lower court block. Matt Schruers, president and chief executive officer of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, called the decision deeply concerning. A separate challenge to the law's age verification requirement for adult websites was dropped.

The Eleventh Circuit's ruling, in case No. 25-11881, Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice v James Uthmeier, clears the way for the Florida Online Protections for Minors Act, codified in section 501.1736 of the Florida Statutes, to remain in force. The law was signed in March 2024, came into effect on 1 January 2025 and has been applied since November 2025. It covers only platforms where at least 10 per cent of active daily users under 16 average two hours or more a day, which use algorithms and have addictive features such as infinite scrolling or autoplaying video, while email and direct messaging services are excluded. The broader constitutional challenge has been returned to the district court in line with Moody v NetChoice, LLC (2024).

Our guides also explain how a [social media harm claim](https://yoursolicitor.com/claim) works.

Florida's arguments to the court have now been reported in detail. The state said platforms incorporate mechanisms that, in its words before the court, 'overstimulate the reward centre of the brain' and 'encourage compulsive use', and it cited sleep and attention problems, feelings of exclusion, and risks of depression, anxiety and neuroticism as part of its case on the [harm to children](https://yoursolicitor.com/parents). The appeals court accepted that protecting minors is a legitimate and important government interest but did not treat those assertions as proven medical facts. The court also listed automatic notifications, engagement metrics and live streams among the addictive features covered, alongside infinite scrolling and autoplaying video. Matt Schruers of the Computer & Communications Industry Association warned the decision 'grants the government considerable power to manage how its citizens access information' and 'risks imposing identity verification on internet users in Florida of all ages'. The ruling is described as a substantive decision rather than a temporary hold, and the source says an earlier Florida attempt to restrict minors' access was blocked by the US Supreme Court and sent back to lower courts.

Our guides also explain the case against the platforms.

Our guides also explain [how a social media harm claim works](https://yoursolicitor.com/how-it-works), [the court cases we report](https://yoursolicitor.com/stories), [the latest developments](https://yoursolicitor.com/updates), [guidance for young people](https://yoursolicitor.com/young-people) and [the full case files](https://yoursolicitor.com/cases).

Sources and correctionsThis article was written by the YourSolicitor News Team from published reporting and is checked against it. It reports what the sources say and who said it; it does not judge any claim. The cases behind the headlines are summarised on [the case page](https://yoursolicitor.com/the-case) and set out in full in our [case files](https://yoursolicitor.com/cases). Main source (tiempo.com.mx): [https://www.tiempo.com.mx/tecnologia/eu-busca-gobierno-florida-reforma-prohibir-menores-uso-redes/](https://www.tiempo.com.mx/tecnologia/eu-busca-gobierno-florida-reforma-prohibir-menores-uso-redes/). Spotted a mistake? [Tell us](https://yoursolicitor.com/news?about=news-uaGCqYRP#corrections) and we will review it.

## Were you or your child affected by social media?

Check in about two minutes whether you may be able to claim. It is free, there is no obligation, and compensation is never guaranteed. Results abroad do not decide UK claims.

[Check if I may be able to claim](https://yoursolicitor.com/claim)

## More from the newsroom

[Police warn parents about online network exploiting children on Discord and RobloxFort Wayne detectives say they are investigating cases linked to the group 764, which they allege grooms and blackmails children…](https://yoursolicitor.com/news/police-warn-parents-about-online-network-exploiting-children-on-discord-and-roblox)[Eight US states sue OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT harms children and deceives parentsThe consumer protection claims, filed in state courts, allege the chatbot has given dangerous advice to young users. OpenAI says…](https://yoursolicitor.com/news/eight-us-states-sue-openai-alleging-chatgpt-harms-children-and-deceives-parents)[Kentucky lawsuit alleges Character.AI chatbots urged users to self-harmAn unredacted filing by the state's Attorney-General Russell Coleman sets out chatbot messages about starving, cutting and…](https://yoursolicitor.com/news/kentucky-lawsuit-alleges-character-ai-chatbots-urged-users-to-self-harm)[Sheriff warns parents after child abuse suspect took children's photos from FacebookOfficers in Smyth County, Virginia say a suspect gathered pictures of local children from the platform, and urge adults to…](https://yoursolicitor.com/news/sheriff-warns-parents-after-child-abuse-suspect-took-children-s-photos-from-facebook)