On Friday, a federal judge temporarily blocked Virginia’s one-hour daily social media limit for minors under 16, delivering an early courtroom victory to major tech platforms and their industry allies.
Court Says Law Likely Violates First Amendment
A judge in Virginia issued a preliminary injunction halting enforcement of the 2025 law.
This would have required platforms such as Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), YouTube, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google, Snap Inc. (NYSE:SNAP), Reddit Inc. (NYSE:RDDT) and TikTok to cap users under 16 at one hour per day unless a parent approved more time.
The measure also required companies to use “commercially reasonable” age-verification methods and imposed fines of up to $7,500 per violation.
In her opinion released Friday, the judge wrote that the state “does not have the legal authority to block minors’ access to constitutionally protected speech” without parental action to override a government-set default.
She found the law “over-inclusive,” noting it could bar a minor from watching a church service exceeding an hour on YouTube while allowing longer religious programming on other streaming platforms.
The lawsuit was filed by NetChoice, whose members include Meta, YouTube, Snap, Reddit, and TikTok.
The group argued that Virginia “restricted access to valuable sources for speaking and listening” and limited minors’ ability to engage with information online.
National And Global Debate Over Teen Social Media Limits
The case was closely watched as more than two dozen states backed similar efforts.
Countries including France, Spain, and Australia have also weighed or implemented restrictions on under-16 social media use.
The ruling is temporary, and further legal challenges are expected.
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