Florida’s house overwhelmingly passed legislation Wednesday that would create some of the strictest social media prohibitions in the country by cutting off anyone under 16 years old from many platforms. While the proposal is still pending approval from the senate, the proposal is a top priority of Republican Speaker Paul Renner on his conservative agenda to safeguard children in the state alongside a bill curbing access to adult websites, which lawmakers also passed Wednesday. State Rep. Fiona McFarland believes “These dopamine hits [from social media] are so addictive, it’s like a digital fentanyl” and added, “Even the most plugged-in parent or attuned teen has a hard time shutting the door against these addictive features.” The social media legislation would require a third party age identification to prohibit anyone under 16 from accessing these websites and would call on social media companies to ban anyone currently under 16 years of age.
The proposal has caused some confusion as to which websites will be covered with this law and it was clarified that it would not apply to websites that are predominantly used for email, messaging or texts, along with streaming services, news, sports or entertainment sites, and online shopping or gaming. They also shared on Tuesday that they added new language outlawing platforms with “addictive, harmful, or deceptive design features” that are meant to grab users and keep them engaged. Some responded by saying that this statement only muddied the waters and did not directly clarify if companies such as Meta, Instagram, Snapchat or Youtube would be covered. The lawmakers have directly stated that they were “not going to get into specific companies.”
State Rep. and Co sponsor Tyler Sirois has voiced his concern that “They are stimulating a chemical reaction in our kids to keep them hooked and to keep them coming back for more — and manipulating their behaviors.”
Republican leaders contented that the reason for this bill is to curb serious issues such as bullying, depression, social pressure and even suicides tied to accessing social media. This bill will also allow parents to sue against social media companies that don’t take down children’s accounts, including the possibility of landing up to $10,000 in damages and court fees. Opponents of this have expressed displeasure against this legislation because it does not give parents more of a say in the decision. They argue that this ban will restrict access to friendships and resources that many children and teens hold dear, as well as possibly even causing minors who earn money as influencers to lose out.
One democrat Rep. Ashley Gantt of Miami attempted to scale back the bill by talking about her concerns “My concern is the government telling parents how to parent their child and taking away the complete ability for them to make that decision,” Renner responded by talking about how parents would get lectured saying “If we just let parents decide on this one, parents are going to be harangued so much because it makes a kid ostracized not to be on social media,” The Bill passed on Wednesday would require reasonable age verification on any websites featuring adult content to prevent minors from accessing them which would be run by a third-party entity. The adult website bill was supported most with only a few democrats voting against the bill.
