Federal Judge Halts Virginia’s Social Media Restrictions for Minors

U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles, based in Alexandria, issued a preliminary injunction against the measure, known as Senate Bill 854. The law, signed in May by then-Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, took effect on January 1, 2026. According to Reuters, the lawsuit challenging the statute was brought by the technology trade association NetChoice, whose members include major companies such as Google, Meta Platforms, Netflix, Reddit and Elon Musk’s X.

In her decision, Giles concluded that NetChoice was likely to succeed in arguing that the law violates constitutional protections for free speech. According to Reuters, she found that the statute potentially infringes on the First Amendment rights of adults, minors and the organization’s member companies.

Virginia officials had defended the legislation as a targeted effort to address what they described as the harmful and addictive features of social media platforms, pointing to concerns about a youth mental health crisis. The state argued that the law was carefully crafted to shield children from online harms.

However, Giles determined that the measure was too broad in some respects and too narrow in others. She wrote that the law was overinclusive because it required age verification for all users, including adults. At the same time, it was underinclusive because it did not apply to certain interactive gaming platforms that could also be considered addictive, per a report to Reuters.

The judge further noted that the statute treated similar types of content differently. Under the law, minors would have been restricted from viewing more than an hour of certain programming — such as science, history or religious content — on social media platforms, even though comparable material could be accessed without limitation on other services, including streaming platforms.

“The court recognizes the Commonwealth’s compelling interest in protecting its youth from the harms associated with the addictive aspects of social media,” Giles wrote. “However, it cannot infringe on First Amendment rights, including those of the same youth it aims to protect.”

A spokesperson for Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, a Democrat, said the state intends to continue pursuing measures aimed at helping parents safeguard their children online. “We look forward to continuing to enforce laws that empower parents to protect their children from the proven harms that can come through social media,” said Rae Pickett.

NetChoice welcomed the ruling. Paul Taske, co-director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, said in a statement, “This ruling reaffirms that the government cannot ration access to lawful speech – even if it has noble intentions. Fundamentally, parents must stay in the driver’s seat when it comes to decisions about their families.”

NetChoice has mounted similar legal challenges to related laws in other states, including California, according to Reuters.

Source: Reuters