Social Media Bans for Minors: What To Know About New Restrictions

States are rapidly passing laws that restrict minors’ access to and use of social media, but the rules vary widely, and many laws face legal challenges. Among other things, these laws redefine who can open an account, how long minors can use social media, and what platforms can show them. With changes happening quickly, this guide breaks down what is in effect and what remains unsettled across the country.

To better understand how these laws apply to you, connect with an attorney through the Super Lawyers directory.

Federal Baseline on Social Media Regulation for Minors

All states must comply with federal law, which sets the baseline that states build upon. States cannot override federal law to be less restrictive, though they can enact more restrictive laws.

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) applies to websites and apps intended for children under 13. COPPA outlines what must be included in a privacy policy, when parental or guardian consent is required, and privacy protection requirements. The practical result of this law is that many websites and social media apps ban children under 13 to avoid complying with COPPA’s detailed requirements.

Because the first version of COPPA was enacted in 1998, COPPA 2.0 has been introduced to address rapid technological developments since then. The new proposed version expands protections to include teens aged 13-16 and grants teens and parents the right to correct inaccurate personal information.

Under COPPA 2.0, websites would have to comply with several new requirements regarding age verification and data collection. The law would also address new technologies, such as biometric data collection. Congress has yet to pass a final version of the bill.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces COPPA regulations. Websites and apps that violate COPPA could be fined up to $53,088 per violation. In practice, this has resulted in fines totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars, and sometimes millions.

Common Legal Approaches States Are Taking

Some common themes are emerging in state laws focused on social media regulation and online safety. Generally, states aim to protect impressionable young people.

Full or Partial Social Media Bans

So far, no state has banned social media for all people under 18. States recognize that teens can make informed decisions about their privacy and use.

Some states have enacted full or partial bans for users aged 12-16. Others have taken a parental-control approach, requiring parents to approve their children’s use of social media platforms.

Age Verification Requirements

One method to prevent young people from using social media sites is to implement age-verification requirements. There are several methods for verifying users’ ages, including facial estimation software, ID scanning, and transaction dates.

Under these requirements, social media platforms would need to verify the parent’s identity and ensure they are providing valid consent for a user who meets the age limit.

Parental Consent Laws

Some laws prevent young users from creating social media accounts without parental consent. States hope that requiring consent will bring parents into the conversation and make them more involved in their children’s online and social media activity.

Restrictions on Platform Design

Taking a different approach to social media regulation, some states focus on the design of social media apps and websites. The theory is that social media websites are designed to be highly addictive, which has an increasingly negative impact on youth mental health.

Time, Use, and Feature Limits

Less common are states that impose usage limits. These typically define the age of the users who must have limits. The limits could require certain privacy settings, usage time limits, time-of-day blocks, and notification timing restrictions.

State-by-State Breakdown of Social Media Laws

Some states have gained more attention for their social media and internet laws. For some, it is because they have led the trend, while others have gained attention for being highly restrictive.

Florida

Florida made headlines for passing its social media ban law. It prevents children 14 and under from having a social media account. Users aged 15 or older must have parental consent to create an account. Platforms must use age verification to ensure they comply with the law. The validity of the law is currently being litigated.

Mississippi

Mississippi’s social media law, which included age-verification and parental-consent requirements, was challenged by NetChoice, a trade association of online businesses.

The law took restrictions a step further to include harmful content. NetChoice objected to the broad definition of social media websites and apps, arguing that it was too restrictive because it applied to everything from Facebook and TikTok to NextDoor and YouTube.

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed Mississippi’s restrictions on minors’ social media access to remain in place for now, even as the underlying constitutional issues continue to be litigated.

Tennessee

Lawmakers in Tennessee enacted the Protecting Children from Social Media Act, requiring mandatory age verification and parental consent for minors. The law is currently in the legal process, with ongoing appellate challenges.

Nebraska

Nebraska’s Age-Appropriate Online Design Code Act takes regulation a step further, putting parental monitoring in the statute. It also requires the highest privacy settings for minors. Social platforms are limited in their data collection and in their ability to use features to keep users engaged longer.

States Focused on Platform Design and Algorithm Restrictions

Rather than banning access, several states are regulating the mechanics of social media platforms. For example, California’s laws emphasize age-appropriate design and require health warnings for minors to address the risks of prolonged use. New York’s SAFE for Kids Act restricts algorithm-driven feeds and limits notifications that can drive compulsive engagement.

Recent litigation shows courts are increasingly willing to hold platforms accountable for how they design their products. In March 2026, a California jury found Meta and YouTube liable for harms tied to addictive platform features, awarding damages to a young user who developed mental health issues linked to prolonged social media use.

Minnesota focuses on user well-being through strict default privacy settings for younger users and warning prompts before access. Utah adopts one of the most aggressive approaches by holding platforms accountable for mental health impacts, mandating private minor accounts, removing them from search visibility, and disabling features such as autoplay and endless scrolling that contribute to addictive use.

States with Laws Blocked or Under Constitutional Challenge

Several states have attempted to pass laws restricting minors’ use of social media, but the laws have been blocked, generally in federal court. The reasons for the block vary, but it typically comes down to the law being too restrictive of First Amendment rights.

Courts evaluate whether the laws restrict free speech or the online platform’s conduct. For example, Arkansas, Ohio, Georgia, and Louisiana have legislation being challenged in federal court. If judges rule against the law, states can choose to appeal the decision or rework the law.

Legal Issues and Constitutional Challenges

Legal challenges to these laws center on free speech and the limits of state authority. Courts are actively considering whether social media platforms should be treated as protected speech environments or regulated products, as well as whether these laws are content-based restrictions that trigger heightened constitutional scrutiny.

Many statutes have already faced injunctions on these grounds. Beyond speech concerns, age verification requirements raise data privacy issues, particularly when platforms must collect sensitive information such as government IDs or biometric identifiers.

The laws also expand the role of the state in decisions traditionally made by parents, creating tension over who controls minors’ online access. Practical enforcement adds another layer of difficulty, as age verification can be unreliable, easily bypassed, and costly for platforms attempting to comply across multiple jurisdictions.

Talk With a Lawyer

This state-by-state patchwork of laws is only becoming more complex as new legislation passes and existing rules face legal challenges. For families, that means uncertainty around what is permitted. For businesses, it creates real compliance risks that cannot be ignored. An attorney can help you interpret how these laws apply to your situation and prepare for what comes next.

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