A Florida law that would restrict minors' social media access has been challenged in court a couple of months before it is set to take effect.

"Like adults, minors use these websites to engage in an array of First Amendment activity on a wide range of topics," wrote NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association, in a legal complaint filed Monday in the Tallahassee division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

"The government may have a role in empowering parents with tools and information to make their own judgments about what speech is appropriate for their own minor children," they continued.

"But when the government has crossed the line into deciding for itself which constitutionally protected speech minors may access, courts have invalidated such efforts as inconsistent with the First Amendment."

The law , slated to take effect on Jan. 1, would bar minors under 16 from social media platforms, unless they're 14- or 15-year-olds who get a parent's permission. It also requires age verification to access pornographic websites in Florida.

In a press release, the suing groups said the lawsuit was about safety as well as speech. To verify the age of users, they argue companies will be forced to collect sensitive data that will put "security at serious risk of breach," something bill supporters deny.

Gov. Ron DeSantis actually vetoed an initial version of the measure that he said went too far. He promised "a different, superior bill" working with lawmakers, which he ended up signing soon after.

Outgoing Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, has maintained that the bill doesn't run afoul of the First Amendment, saying it doesn't focus on content.

"You will not find a line in this bill that addresses good speech or bad speech because that would violate the First Amendment," said Renner after the bill, which he made a 2024 legislative session priority, was signed.

"But what we have addressed is the addictive features that are at the heart of why children stay on these platforms for hours and hours on end," he added.

In an emailed statement provided to the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Monday afternoon, Renner denounced those suing.

“NetChoice and the CCIA are doing the bidding of multi-billion dollar corporations that prey on kids to profit through addictive design features," he said. " House Bill 3 protects free speech afforded under the First Amendment by targeting algorithms and addictive design features on platforms that keep children scrolling, leading them to alarming rates of depression, self-harm, and thoughts of suicide."

The case, which was filed against state Attorney General Ashley Moody, has been assigned to Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama.

"We are reviewing the lawsuit; however, as a mother, Attorney General Moody will fight aggressively in court to ensure the ability to protect Florida children," said Chase Sizemore, press secretary for Moody's office, in an emailed statement.

This is not the plaintiffs' first lawsuit against Florida. Still being litigated is a case about a 2021 law that barred social media platforms from suspending or banning political candidates.