A bill that would place one of the country's most restrictive bans on social media use by minors is heading to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
Florida lawmakers pass ban on social media for children under 16 despite constitutional concernsA bill that would place one of the country's most restrictive bans on social media use by minors is heading to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A bill to create one of the nation's most restrictive bans on social media use by minors is heading to Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has expressed concerns about the legislation keeping children under 2 years old at a 16-year discount on popular platforms, regardless of parental consent.The House passed the bill on Thursday by a vote of 108-7, just hours after the Senate approved it by a vote of 23-14. The Senate made changes to the original House bill that Republican Speaker Paul Renner hopes will address DeSantis' questions about privacy.The bill targets all social media websites that track user activity, allow children to upload material and interact with others, and use addictive features designed to cause excessive or compulsive use. Advocates point to rising suicide rates among children, cyberbullying and predators using social media to exploit children.“We're talking about companies using addictive features to manipulate and harm our children on a mass scale,” said the bill's sponsor in the Senate, Republican Erin Grall.Other states have considered similar laws, but most have not proposed a total ban. In Arkansas, a federal judge in August blocked enforcement of a law requiring parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts.Advocates in Florida hope the bill would withstand legal challenges if it becomes law because it would ban social media formats that rely on addictive features like notifications and autoplay videos, rather than the content on their websites.But opponents say it is a blatant violation of the First Amendment and that it should be left to parents, not the government, to monitor children's social media use.“This is not 1850. While parents show up at school board meetings and ban books, their kids are sitting on their iPads watching really bad stuff,” said Democratic Sen. Jason Pizzo.He sarcastically said that lawmakers have other options if they want to educate other people's children.“Let's pass a bill that encourages you to spend time with your children, cook dinner, sit at the table together, make eye contact and call grandma every now and then to ask if she's OK ." he said.Republicans and Democrats were represented on both sides of the legislation.DeSantis said he understands that the platforms could be harmful to youth but stressed that parents need to play a role in monitoring usage.“We can’t say 100% of the uses are bad, because they’re not,” DeSantis said at an Orlando-area news conference before the bill’s passage. “I don’t think it’s that far, but I hope we can get there in a way that addresses parents’ concerns.”But Renner, who has made the issue his top legislative priority, believes the governor will approve the final product because it addresses his concerns about user anonymity.Some parents also have mixed feelings.Angela Perry, a Central Florida mother, said she understands the rationale behind the bill and that she and her husband wouldn't have let their daughter on major platforms until she was 15. But she believes it should be up to each parent to make that decision based on their children's maturity.“What happened to parental rights?” Perry said. “They are already choosing books for my child to read at school. That's okay to a certain extent. But now you're invading her private life too. It becomes intrusive.”The Florida bill would require social media companies to close any accounts they suspect are being used by minors and to delete accounts at the request of a minor or parent. All account information must be deleted.
