Florida can enforce state law barring young kids from social media, appeals court rules

11th Circuit says Florida law not barred by US Constitution Law restricts kids' access to social media platforms with "addictive" features Industry groups had said the law violated free speech rights By Diana Novak Jones Oct 14 (Reuters) — A federal appeals court on Wednesday allowed Florida to enforce a state law barring children under 14 from accessing social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok or Snapchat, rejecting tech industry groups' claims that the law violates the US Constitution’s free speech protections. In a unanimous ruling, a three-judge panel on the Atlanta-based 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a lower court’s preliminary injunction blocking the law, known as H.B. 3. The court said the law does not regulate the content hosted by social media sites and therefore doesn’t run afoul of the First Amendment. “HB3 applies to platforms wholly without regard to the topics discussed or the ideas or messages conveyed on them,” wrote Circuit Judge Kevin Newsom, an appointee of President Donald Trump. “Truth Social is just as likely as Instagram to be affected by HB3.” Representatives for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who defended the law, did not immediate