JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a revamped version of a bill that will ban children under 14 from having social media accounts, WJXT-TV reported.
DeSantis had vetoed an earlier version of the bill that targeted social media users under 16 and would have banned them regardless of parent consent.
Lawmakers worked with DeSantis to craft legislation that he would approve, which now focuses on children under 14 and keeps parents in the equation.
The bill, in part, would prevent children under 14 from opening accounts. Parents can give consent for 14- and 15-year-olds to have accounts.
DeSantis signed that legislation during a news conference at Cornerstone Classical Academy on St. Johns Bluff Road in Jacksonville.
Attorney General Ashley Moody, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. and House Speaker Paul Renner, who championed the legislation, also spoke at the news conference.
Renner, R-Palm Coast, made cracking down on social media perhaps the highest-profile issue of this year’s legislative session. He contends that social media use harms children’s mental health and can lead to sexual predators communicating with minors.
“This is something that I believe will save the current generation and generations to come if we’re successful,” Renner said after the bill passed.
Social media notifications and auto-play videos are some of the addictive social media features Florida lawmakers said are dangerous to children’s mental health.
House Bill 3 would require social media companies to ban accounts belonging to someone under the age of 14 to be on sites like Instagram and TikTok. Kids older than 14 would need a parent’s permission.
Proponents of the bill said it will “literally save the lives of children.”
Rep. Tyler Sirois, a Merritt Island Republican who helped sponsor the bill, said that if social media “is the new town square, then God help us.”
“For our children, social media is no town square,” Sirois said. “It is a dark alley.”
Tech-industry and free-speech groups have already signaled that the bill is likely to face a First Amendment court challenge.
Governor Ron DeSantis Signs HB3 to Protect Children from the Harms of Social Media https://t.co/9nylhaOIXI
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 25, 2024
“Outright banning minors from social media sites does not address the potential harm they may encounter on social media sites but instead prohibits them from sharing and engaging in constitutionally protected speech,” Katie Blankenship, director of the free-speech group PEN America Florida, said in a statement this week. “We know social media sites can present significant risks to minors, but the state’s response to such risks should be tailored to minimize harm, not passing measures that violate Floridans’ constitutional rights.”
Moody said she is ready to fight them in court.
The bill does not name social-media platforms that would be affected. But it includes a definition of such platforms, with criteria related to such things as algorithms, “addictive features” and allowing users to view the content or activities of other users.
Supporters hope to ensure compliance by opening social media platforms to lawsuits for violations of the age restrictions. That would include lawsuits filed by the state attorney general and lawsuits filed on behalf of minors.
“We’re putting the onus here on the companies,” Sirois said.
The bill would require age verification to try to prevent minors under age 18 from having access to online pornographic sites.
The law goes into effect July 1.
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