(CTN News) – The Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis (R), signed a bill Monday that eliminates the ability for children under 14 years of age to have social media accounts in the Sunshine State.
In addition, under the legislation, 14- and 15-year-olds must receive parental approval before setting up an account on a social media platform that employs algorithms and has “certain addictive features.”
There is no doubt that the internet has become a dark alley for our children where predators are targeting them and dangerous social media is contributing to higher rates of depression, self-harm, and even suicide, according to Florida House Speaker Paul Renner.
According to the governor, “thanks to Governor DeSantis’ signature, Florida has taken the lead in protecting children online as states across the country take steps to address these dangers,” he said.
It has been announced that Florida’s House Bill 3 has been signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Earlier this month, DeSantis had vetoed legislation which would have prohibited children under the age of 16 from opening an account.
According to DeSantis, he believes that the new legislation the state passed is more likely to withstand a challenge in court than the legislation it replaced.
“From my point of view, I think this was an excellent job done, not just because you were saying, ‘Here’s what we think is constitutional in our own judgment’, but also because you were able to explain to the Court what they think would ultimately land, given that some judges had gone crosswise on some of these issues,” he said.
NetChoice, however, argued that if the law goes into effect, it will effectively force Floridians to meet “identification by Internet” requirements that are expected to be imposed upon Floridians.
NetChoice’s vice president and general counsel, Carl Szabo, said in a statement that HB 3 forces Floridians to give their sensitive personal information to websites or else they will lose their access to critical information channels, according to the company.
There is a violation of Floridians’ First Amendment rights to access and share speech online, which is infringing upon this right.
I am disappointed that Governor DeSantis has chosen to follow this route. I believe that there are better ways to keep Floridians, their families, and their data safe and secure online without compromising their freedoms in any way.”
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