Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 3 Monday, which prohibits children under the age of 14 from opening social media accounts and permits 14- and 15-year-olds to do so with parental authorization.
“Social media harms children in a variety of ways,” said DeSantis. “HB 3 gives parents a greater ability to protect their children. Thank you to Speaker Renner for delivering this landmark legislation.”
“The internet has become a dark alley for our children where predators target them and dangerous social media leads to higher rates of depression, self-harm, and even suicide,” said House Speaker Paul Renner. “I am proud of the work of all our bill sponsors, Representatives Tyler Sirois, Fiona McFarland, Michele Rayner, Chase Tramont, and Toby Overdorf for delivering a legislative framework that prioritizes keeping our children safe. Thanks to Governor DeSantis’ signature, Florida leads the way in protecting children online as states across the country fight to address these dangers.”
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In addition to protecting children from the dangers of social media, HB 3 requires pornographic or sexually explicit websites to use age verification to prevent minors from accessing sites that are inappropriate for children.
A tech-industry group last Thursday urged Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto a bill that seeks to prevent children off social-media platforms
The group NetChoice sent a six-page letter to DeSantis arguing that the bill (HB 3), which got final legislative approval Wednesday, would violate First Amendment rights.
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“The fact that HB 3 covers the internet rather than books, television programs, or video games does not change the First Amendment issue,” the letter, signed by NetChoice Vice President and General Counsel Carl Szabo, said. “Social media websites provide access to speech on topics ranging from religious worship and political dialogue to sharing recipes and offering well-wishes. And the Supreme Court has made clear that the government lacks the ‘free-floating power to restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed.’”
Specifically, the bill signed by DeSantis Monday will:
- Prevents minors who are younger than 14 years of age from becoming a social media account holder.
- Empowers parents to decide whether 14- and 15-year-olds can have a social media account.
- Protects the ability of Floridians to remain anonymous online.
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