Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis signed a new law Monday that restricts children age 13 and under from having their own social media accounts.
Children ages 14 and 15 will be permitted to have their own accounts with parental consent, the governor’s office said in a statement. DeSantis previously vetoed a similar bill that would have blocked all kids 16 and under from social media regardless of parental consent.
The new law, known as HB 3, also requires age verification for anyone accessing a sexually explicit website. It takes effect Jan. 1, 2025.
PornHub blocked Texans from visiting the site earlier this month after a similar bill went into effect in the Lone Star State.
Several similar laws that have passed in other states are being challenged in the courts on free speech grounds.
During a signing ceremony at a Jacksonville charter school, Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, a Republican, said he expects social media companies to “sue the second after this is signed.”
“But you know what? We’re going to beat them,” Renner added. “We’re going to beat them, and we’re never, ever going to stop.”
Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat who opposed HB 3, said it “goes “too far in taking away parents’ rights.”
“Instead of banning social media access, it would be better to ensure improved parental oversight tools, improved access to data to stop bad actors, alongside major investments in Florida’s mental health systems and programs,” Eskamani said.
The new Florida law comes less than two weeks after the U.S. House voted overwhelmingly to ban TikTok due in part to purported national security concerns related to the Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance. President Biden has said he’ll sign the bill if it passes the Senate, while presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has said he is against banning the popular app.
With News Wire Services
