Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law banning children under age 14 from having their own social media accounts on Monday, according to a news release from the governor’s office. Fourteen and 15-year-olds will be allowed to have accounts with parental consent.
In addition to restricting social media accounts for children, the legislation also places restrictions on pornographic websites. The bill, known as HB 3, requires age verification for those who visit sexually explicit websites. HB 3 goes into effect on January 1, 2025.
The legislation makes Florida the latest in a string of states to pass laws that restrict young Americans from accessing social media, and is likely to invite legal challenges similar to those already filed in other parts of the country.
States including Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Ohio and Utah have pushed similar bills to regulate tech platforms. In February, a federal judge temporarily blocked Ohio’s law over concerns about its breadth and the likelihood that it could infringe on teens’ First Amendment rights to access information online. And last year, another federal judge temporarily blocked Arkansas’ law.
DeSantis vetoed a prior version of the Florida law after saying he wanted to ensure that any legislation provides parents with enough of an opportunity to be involved in decisions about their kids’ social media use.
— CutC by cnn.com
