A recent ruling by an appeals court now allows for restrictions to be placed on social media use for minors in Florida. This is a result of the lift on the temporary injunction against House Bill 3 (HB3) that requires children under 14 to have parental consent to use certain social media platforms and bans them from having social media accounts.

There is a significant divide in perspectives on HB3. Supporters say it protects children from harmful content online while critics argue that it violates the first amendment and interferes with parental authority. Professor Emeritus of Social Welfare at the Luskin School of Public Affairs Mark Kaplan shared his perspectives with Fox13, stating, “There is impact of social media on kids’ well-being…we’re talking about kids’ depression, depressive symptoms, suicidality and self harm.” 

This action has also resulted in a legal battle involving a federal lawsuit filed by tech industry groups NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association whose membership includes platforms like Google and Meta. This lawsuit will most likely move to federal court where the final ruling will be made on whether or not HB3 will stand.