Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has enacted legislation imposing one of the United States’ strictest social media restrictions on minors, pending inevitable legal hurdles.
Effective January 1, this law prohibits social media accounts for children under 14 and mandates parental consent for users aged 14 to 15.
DeSantis had earlier vetoed a similar move for kids under 16 years of age.
This revised regulation, prioritized by Paul Renner, the Republican Speaker of the Florida State House, aims to shield children from the potentially addictive nature of social media platforms.
Renner, at the signing ceremony in Jacksonville, emphasized the necessity of intervention to protect children’s developing brains from these technologies.
Though similar proposals have been examined across various states, Arkansas experienced a setback when a federal judge halted a comparable law last August.
Florida’s version seeks to circumvent content-based restrictions by targeting the addictive mechanisms of social media, such as autoplay features and notifications, hoping this approach will better withstand legal scrutiny.
Renner has braced for immediate legal action from social media firms but remains confident of victory.
DeSantis, acknowledging the expected constitutional challenges, particularly concerning free speech, stands by the law’s legality and its alignment with constitutional principles.
Critics, including Khara Boender of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, expressed skepticism regarding the law’s effectiveness and potential infringement on the rights of young Americans.
The law’s passage saw bipartisan support in Florida’s legislature despite opposition from those who view it as an unconstitutional overreach into parental rights.
Democratic Representative Anna Eskamani criticized the law for excessively undermining parents’ ability to govern their children’s social media use, advocating instead for enhanced parental controls and investments in mental health services and protections against online predators.
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