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- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has banned children under 14 from using social media platforms.
- On Monday, he signed a bill that bans 14- and 15-year-olds from owning accounts without parental consent.
- Most platforms already prohibit children under 13 from owning accounts, but this is only loosely enforced.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Monday that bans Floridians under the age of 14 from owning social media accounts and also introduces restrictions for 14- and 15-year-olds.
The bill aims to address grooming and mental health issues in children and is scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2025, DeSantis said.
The law’s text requires social media companies to flag and remove accounts owned by Florida residents who are “likely to be under the age of 14.”
By law, you have 90 days to contest termination of your account if you have been fraudulently identified.
According to the bill, parents in the state can also submit a request to terminate their child’s account, which must be completed within 10 business days.
People aged 14 and 15 can have social media accounts with the consent of a parent or guardian.
DeSantis said in a speech: Press conference The bill was claimed to be an attempt to stop pedophiles from contacting children through online platforms.
“Even if you have children in your home and it looks safe, there are predators that will get into your home from there. You can do everything right and they will learn how to operate these platforms. I know,” he said.
Earlier this month, the governor vetoed a bill that would have completely prohibited youth under 16 from having social media accounts, regardless of parental consent. DeSantis said at the time that lawmakers would change the law to protect the right to free speech.
Florida House Speaker Paul Renner on Monday accused social media platforms of using algorithms to drag young users into consuming hours of content that disrupts their mental health.
Renner said he expects the bill will meet resistance from the technology industry. “But you know what? We’re going to beat them,” he said.
Most platforms already ban children under 13
Although the new bill does not name social media companies, it does list many features of today’s popular apps, including “infinite scrolling,” push notifications, and the use of algorithms to push content to users. .
Aside from YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram, the most popular social apps among young Americans, already restrict account ownership for children under 13.
Many of these age restrictions were imposed to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which prevents companies from collecting data on children under 13.
However, this law does not prevent children from lying about their age online to circumvent age restrictions.
Critics of DeSantis’ bill are likely to file a legal challenge to it, citing First Amendment concerns.
NetChoice, a technology trade group representing companies such as Meta, TikTok and Snapchat, filed a lawsuit in January seeking to block laws in Ohio and Arkansas that restrict social media use by teenagers between the ages of 16 and 18. . The group argued the rules were unconstitutional, vague and could violate free speech rights.
As a result, Ohio blocked a ban in February, and a judge blocked a similar law in Arkansas in August.
Utah was the first state in the United States To restrict minors’ access to social media, Law enacted in March 2023 This prevents anyone under the age of 18 from owning an account with parental permission.
Representatives for DeSantis, Meta, TikTok and Snapchat did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s requests for comment sent outside of normal business hours.
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