Florida enacts most strict social media ban in US history for minors

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signs legislation prohibiting children under 14 from owning social media accounts and requires parental consent for 15- and 16-year-olds

Far-right Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law Monday a bill that institutes one of the country’s most stringent bans on social media use for minors in US history, pending anticipated legal battles.

The legislation prohibits children under the age of 14 from possessing social media accounts and mandates parental consent for 15 and 16-year-olds.

The measure marks a slight dilution from a previous proposal vetoed by DeSantis earlier in the month, just a week before the culmination of the annual legislative session.

The brainchild of Republican Speaker Paul Renner, the bill, slated to take effect on Jan. 1, represents a paramount legislative win for the GOP.

The initially proposed bill, which DeSantis vetoed, sought to bar minors under 16 from accessing popular social media platforms irrespective of parental approval.

However, ahead of the veto, a compromise was reached between DeSantis and Renner, resulting in amended language aimed at assuaging the governor’s reservations.

Subsequently, the Legislature submitted a revised bill to DeSantis.

Similar legislative endeavors have been contemplated in several states. In Arkansas, a federal judge intervened in August, halting the enforcement of a law mandating parental consent for minors seeking to establish new social media profiles.

Advocates in Florida express optimism regarding the bill’s legal durability, emphasizing its focus on curbing social media formats reliant on addictive elements such as notification prompts and autoplay features, rather than targeting specific content.

Source: AP