Social Media Use for Minors (HB 3, 2024)
Florida HB 3 Social Media
Children
HB 3 (ch. 2024-42) requires covered social media platforms to bar Florida minors under 14 from holding accounts, and to require parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds, terminating non-compliant accounts and deleting their data. A federal district court preliminarily enjoined the law in June 2025, but the Eleventh Circuit stayed that injunction on November 25, 2025, so the law is enforceable while the merits appeal (argued March 2026) is pending.
- Where
- Florida
- Citation
- Fla. Stat. 501.1736
- Status
- In force
- In force since
- 2025-01-01
- Enforced by
- Florida Department of Legal Affairs (Attorney General)
- People can sue
- Limited
- Penalties
- Knowing or reckless violations are unfair and deceptive trade practices enforceable by the department, with civil penalties up to $50,000 per violation plus fees, and punitive damages for a consistent pattern; minor account holders may sue for up to $10,000 in damages plus fees within one year (501.1736(5)-(6)).
- Applies to
- Social media platforms that let users upload or view others' content, where at least 10% of daily active users under 16 average 2 or more hours a day, that use algorithms to select content, and that have at least one listed 'addictive feature' (infinite scroll, push notifications, reaction metrics, auto-play video, or live-streaming); excludes services limited to e-mail or private direct messaging (501.1736(1)(e))
Rights it gives people
- Minor account holders may request termination (effective within 5 business days) and confirmed parents may request termination (effective within 10 business days).Fla. Stat. 501.1736(2)(b)2.-3., (3)(b)2.-3.
Practices it requires
- Prohibit minors under 14 from becoming account holders; terminate existing accounts of users under 14 (including accounts the platform treats as likely under 14), with a 90-day dispute window.Fla. Stat. 501.1736(2)(a)-(b)1.
- Prohibit 14- and 15-year-olds from becoming account holders without parental or guardian consent, and terminate such accounts lacking consent, with a 90-day dispute window.Fla. Stat. 501.1736(3)
- Permanently delete all personal information relating to a terminated account unless law requires retention.Fla. Stat. 501.1736(2)(b)4., (3)(b)4.
Other duties
- If the parental-consent rule for 14- and 15-year-olds is enjoined, it is severed and replaced by an outright ban on accounts for 14- and 15-year-olds.Fla. Stat. 501.1736(4) · Only if: Only if a court enjoins subsection (3)
Sources
- Official text
- Fla. Stat. 501.1736 (2026 Florida Statutes, Online Sunshine)
- Laws of Florida ch. 2024-42 (CS/CS/HB 3), effective January 1, 2025
- CCIA & NetChoice v. Uthmeier, No. 25-11881 (11th Cir. Nov. 25, 2025) (order granting stay of preliminary injunction; copy hosted by plaintiff NetChoice)
- Courthouse News Service, '11th Circuit renews scrutiny over Florida's social media ban for minors' (Mar. 10, 2026)
- Laws of Florida ch. 2024-54 (CS/CS/HB 1491), public-records exemption for HB 3 investigations
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: The Eleventh Circuit stay order was read from a copy hosted by NetChoice (a party), not from PACER or the court's website. | The March 2026 merits argument and the pending Florida v. Snap appeal come from Courthouse News (secondary). No merits decision was found as of 2026-09-25, but this was not confirmed on the docket. | The June 2025 district-court preliminary injunction (N.D. Fla. No. 4:24-cv-00438-MW-MAF) is described from the Eleventh Circuit order, not fetched directly. | Ch. 2024-54 (listed in the statute history) was not fetched; it appears to be a companion act, and its effect on the effective date was not checked.
Research reference, not legal advice.