DeSantis signed one of the most restrictive Florida Social Media Ban for Minors
If a bill signed by Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday passes and withstands anticipated legal challenges, it would be one of the strictest Florida social media ban for minors.
Florida Social Media Ban Statements
Children under the age of 14 will not be allowed to have social media accounts, while children aged 15 and 16 will need parental consent. It differed significantly from a measure that DeSantis denied a week before the annual legislature session finished earlier this month.
Republican Speaker Paul Renner prioritized passing the new bill above all others. It becomes operative on January 1.
Bill Signing Ceremony of Florida Social Media Ban
During the bill-signing ceremony at a Jacksonville school, Renner stated, “A child in their brain development can’t know that they’re being sucked into these addictive technologies and to see the harm and step away from it, and because of that we have to step in for them.”
DeSantis vetoed a bill that would have prohibited children under 16 from using well-known social media sites without parental permission. However, to soothe the governor’s fears, he and Renner hammered out compromise wording before the veto, and the Legislature forwarded DeSantis a second measure.
Legislation of this kind has been considered in several states. A federal judge in Arkansas stopped legislation that needed parental approval for teenagers to open new social media accounts from going into effect in August.
Expected Challenges After Florida Social Media Ban
Because the bill would prohibit social media formats based on addictive characteristics like notification alerts and auto-play movies rather than their content, supporters in Florida are hoping it will withstand judicial challenges.
Social media corporations will “sue the second after this is signed,” according to Renner. However, what’s the deal? We will get the better of them. We are going to defeat them, and we won’t give up.
“I veto any bill that I see if I don’t think it’s constitutional,” lawyer DeSantis stated, indicating that he is confident the social media ban will be sustained. “We not only won my approval, but we also, I believe, upheld the law and the Constitution fairly.”
A significant number of Democrats joined the majority of Republicans in supporting the bill, which was signed into law by both chambers with overwhelming support. Its opponents contended that it is unconstitutional and that the government has no business interfering in parental matters.
Democratic Representative Anna Eskamani stated in a press release that “this bill goes too far in taking away parents’ rights.” “It would be better to ensure improved parental oversight tools, improved access to data to stop bad actors, alongside major investments in Florida’s mental health systems and programs, instead of outlawing access to social media.”
