Virginia appeals ruling to reinstate social media time limits for kids

Virginia is fighting to revive a controversial law designed to restrict children's social media consumption. On Tuesday, the state appealed against a judge’s recent injunction that halted a rule limiting those under 16 to just one hour of scrolling per day.

This legal battle, set to take place in the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals, follows a February ruling from US District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles, who paused the law just as it was beginning to take effect.

The legislation was championed by former Governor Glenn Youngkin to shield children from the "addictive" components of social media and protect children's mental health.

Beyond the daily time limit, the law required all users to verify their ages. However, the tech industry has hit back. NetChoice—a trade group representing giants like Meta, Google, and X—argues the law violated the First Amendment by restricting access to constitutionally protected speech, a job best left to parents.

While Judge Giles acknowledged that Virginia had a compelling interest in protecting children from social media addiction, she concluded that the state’s approach went too far.

The case now rests with the appeals court, which must decide if the tech industry’s free speech claims outweigh the state’s effort to regulate digital habits.

It is a high-stakes standoff that could redefine how much control governments have over the apps in our children’s pockets, balancing state intervention with parental rights and constitutional freedoms.