DeSantis signs bill that bans social media for children in Florida

Florida will have one of the country’s most restrictive social media bans for minors—if it withstands expected legal challenges—under a bill signed by Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday.

The bill will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 15- and 16-year-olds. It was slightly watered down from a proposal DeSantis vetoed earlier this month, a week before the annual legislative session ended.

The new law was Republican Speaker Paul Renner’s top legislative priority. It takes effect January 1.

“A child in their brain development doesn’t have the ability to know that they’re being sucked into these addictive technologies and to see the harm and step away from it, and because of that we have to step in for them,” Renner said at the bill-signing ceremony held at a Jacksonville school.

The bill DeSantis vetoed would have banned minors under 16 from popular social media platforms regardless of parental consent. But before the veto, he worked out compromise language with Renner to alleviate the governor’s concerns and the Legislature sent DeSantis a second bill.

Several states have considered similar legislation. In Arkansas, a federal judge blocked enforcement of a law in August that required parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts.

Supporters in Florida hope the bill will withstand legal challenges because it would ban social media formats based on addictive features such as notification alerts and auto-play videos, rather than on their content.

Renner said he expects social media companies to “sue the second after this is signed. But you know what? We’re going to beat them. We’re going to beat them, and we’re never, ever going to stop.”

DeSantis also acknowledged the law will be challenged on First Amendment issues, and bemoaned the fact the “Stop Woke Act” he signed into law two years ago was recently struck down by an appeals court with a majority of Republican-appointed judges. They ruled it violated free speech rights by banning private business from including discussions about racial inequality in employee training.

“Any time I see a bill, if I don’t think it’s constitutional, I veto it,” said DeSantis, a lawyer, expressing confidence that the social media ban will be upheld. “We not only satisfied me, but we also satisfied, I think, a fair application of the law and Constitution.”

The bill overwhelmingly passed both chambers, with some Democrats joining a majority of Republicans who supported the measure. Opponents argued it is unconstitutional and government shouldn’t interfere with decisions parents make with their children.

“This bill goes too far in taking away parents’ rights,” Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani said in a news release. “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.”

—Brendan Farrington, Associated Press

https://www.fastcompany.com/91069056/florida-desantis-signs-social-media-ban-minors?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss

Created 1y | Mar 26, 2024, 12:30:05 AM


Login to add comment

Other posts in this group

‘Who did this guy become?’ This creator quit his job and lost his TikTok audience

If you’ve built an audience around documenting your 9-to-5 online, what happens after you hand in your notice?

That’s the conundrum facing Connor Hubbard, aka “hubs.life,” a creator who

Jul 18, 2025, 8:50:06 PM | Fast company - tech
Meta-owned WhatsApp could be banned in Russia. Here’s why

WhatsApp should prepare to leave the Russian market, a lawmaker who regulates the IT sector

Jul 18, 2025, 4:20:03 PM | Fast company - tech
The simple pleasures of computing in 1995

This is an edition of Plugged In, a weekly newsletter by Fast Company global technology editor Harry McCracken. You can sign up to receive it each Friday and read all issues

Jul 18, 2025, 1:50:08 PM | Fast company - tech
The AOL hacking tool that invented phishing and inspired a generation

If you were a teenager on America Online back then, there’s a good chance you got the email. Unlike a lot of the files floating around the early

Jul 18, 2025, 1:50:06 PM | Fast company - tech
How AI brain mapping can improve disease detection

Traditional brain scans only show part of the picture. They can’t fully capture how different regions of the brain communicate—an essential factor in detecting neurological diseases early. Dr.

Jul 18, 2025, 11:40:04 AM | Fast company - tech
Internet regulation is entering its hall pass era

Big changes are coming to the web in the days ahead. On July 25, the U.K.’s Online Safe

Jul 18, 2025, 11:40:03 AM | Fast company - tech