Tech Groups Attempt to Stop Law Designed to Curb Minors’ Access to Social Media

Publish Date : 10/29/2024

Two tech industry associations have filed a lawsuit against Florida’s House Bill 3 (H.B. 3), a law that restricts minors’ social media access. H.B. 3, set to take effect on January 1, 2025, bans children under 13 from creating social media accounts and requires parental permission for 14- and 15-year-olds. Plaintiffs argue this law infringes on First Amendment rights by limiting access to lawful content and requiring social media platforms to collect sensitive user data, which they say increases data breach risks.

The tech groups claim parents already have sufficient tools to manage their children’s online access without government intervention. They emphasize that while protecting minors online is important, imposing access restrictions and data collection requirements endangers users’ privacy and security. This suit is one of several recent legal actions opposing similar laws across various states recently blocking similar restrictions on First Amendment grounds.