January 25, 2024 – The Florida House of Representatives has passed a bill with a bipartisan vote of 106 to 13 aimed at preventing children aged 16 and younger from accessing social media platforms. This legislative move follows similar actions in several states as a response to concerns about online risks for young teenagers.
The approved measure requires social media platforms to terminate the accounts of individuals under 17 years old and implement a third-party verification system to screen out underage users. Florida House Speaker Paul Renner emphasized the need to address the harmful effects of social media on children’s development, mental health, and childhood.
The bill also mandates firms to permanently delete personal information collected from terminated accounts and allows parents to bring civil suits against those failing to comply. The legislation will now move to the Florida state Senate for consideration, where Republicans hold control of both chambers.
Supporters argue that such measures are necessary to protect children from mental health issues associated with excessive social media use, while opponents claim the bill goes too far. Some critics propose less restrictive alternatives, such as allowing parents to opt in or out of allowing their children to use social media.
Meta (META.O), the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, opposed the legislation, expressing concerns about limiting parental discretion and raising data privacy issues. The company highlighted potential challenges, including the requirement for new social media users to provide sensitive identifying information for age verification.
The bill does not specify any internet companies by name but defines a social media platform as an online forum that tracks account holders’ activity, enabling the creation of user profiles, content upload, and interaction with other users. The legislation exempts certain platforms, including those predominantly focused on email, messaging, texting, streaming services, news, sports, entertainment, online shopping, gaming, and academic sites.
Several states, including Utah, Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas, have adopted or are considering laws regulating children’s access to social media. The European Union also passed a law in 2015 requiring parental consent for a child to access social media.
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