On November 25, 2025, the Eleventh Circuit stayed the preliminary injunction 2 to 1, allowing enforcement. The appeal was argued March 10, 2026, and no decision has issued. The stay is interim relief, not a final ruling on constitutionality.
Florida HB 3 (Social Media and Adult Sites)
BadLawFlorida HB 3
Florida, United StatesHigh threat
Florida, United StatesHigh threatIn force; Eleventh Circuit ruling pending after March 2026 argument
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- Became Law
Stage 4 of 4: Became Law
Bars under-14s from social media, requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds, and makes adult sites verify every visitor's age.
Latest update
TikTok's motion to dismiss the state's suit reported; it argues HB 3 is vague and violates the First Amendment
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Take action on this issueWhat it does
Florida's law stops platforms from letting anyone under 14 hold an account and requires a parent's consent for 14- and 15-year-olds, so platforms have to work out every user's age. A second section, s. 501.1737, makes any site where more than a third of the material is harmful to minors verify that visitors are 18, and it must offer both an anonymous and a standard verification method. Both parts took effect January 1, 2025. The attorney general is enforcing the social media part while the appeal is pending, and on June 15, 2026 he sued TikTok under it, seeking $50,000 per violation.
What’s at stake
Florida is enforcing an age-gated social media law with the courts now leaning its way. In November 2025 the Eleventh Circuit ruled 2 to 1 that the law likely survives the First Amendment because it targets addictive design features rather than speech. If that holds, it is the template for banning minors and carding everyone else.
Our take
Florida found the framing that works in court: regulate the features, not the speech, and the age checks ride along. The appeal is still open. Legislatures drafting their next social media laws are watching it.
Timeline
TikTok's motion to dismiss the state's suit reported; it argues HB 3 is vague and violates the First AmendmentLatest
Attorney General Uthmeier sued TikTok under HB 3 in St. Lucie County circuit court
Eleventh Circuit heard oral argument in CCIA & NetChoice v. Uthmeier
Eleventh Circuit stayed the preliminary injunction 2 to 1 pending appeal; enforcement allowed while litigation continues
Free Speech Coalition's challenge to the adult-site section ended after the Supreme Court's Paxton ruling
Took effect, including the adult-site age verification section
Free Speech Coalition sued over the adult-site age verification section (s. 501.1737)
Signed by Governor DeSantis (Ch. 2024-42)
Votes
- Senate — Final passage (30 to 5) · March 4, 2024
- House — Final passage (109 to 4)
Legal challenges
Filed December 16, 2024 against s. 501.1737 (N.D. Fla. No. 4:24-cv-00514). Stayed January 2025 pending FSC v. Paxton; the case was closed July 8, 2025 after the Supreme Court upheld Texas's law.
Attorney General Uthmeier sued TikTok and ByteDance in St. Lucie County circuit court on June 15, 2026, alleging HB 3 and FDUTPA violations and seeking $50,000 per violation. TikTok moved to dismiss in September 2026, arguing HB 3 is vague and violates the First Amendment. No ruling yet.
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