New FL Law Places Social Media Limits On Teens Younger Than 16

FLORIDA — Some Florida teenagers with social media accounts must now have parental consent, while those younger than age 14 are banned from using social media, under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis signed House Bill 3, making it mandatory for teenagers ages 14 and 15 to require parental consent for their social media.

The law is one of the country’s most restrictive social media bans for minors, the Associated Press reported. DeSantis vetoed a more restrictive bill earlier.

“Social media harms children in a variety of ways,” DeSantis said in a news release. “HB 3 gives parents a greater ability to protect their children. Thank you to Speaker (Paul) Renner for delivering this landmark legislation.”

One of the components of HB 3 is the allowance for Florida residents to remain anonymous online, according to DeSantis' office.

"In addition to protecting children from the dangers of social media, HB 3 requires pornographic or sexually explicit websites to use age verification to prevent minors from accessing sites that are inappropriate for children," his office said in the release.

Axios Tampa Bay reported a lawsuit could be forthcoming from social media companies to block the law from taking effect, which is slated to occur on July 1.

Lawmakers have named social media, which they deem "digital fentanyl," as the culprit for the teen mental health crisis, Axios reported.

“The internet has become a dark alley for our children where predators target them and dangerous social media leads to higher rates of depression, self-harm and even suicide,” Renner said in the release.

While other states have considered similar legislation, most have not proposed a total ban. 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 court 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, AP reported.

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.”

The governor said the law will be challenged on First Amendment issues, and criticized 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, AP said.

The Florida bill drew support from both parties, who cited concern for minors facing bullying, exploitation, and mental health crises as a result of social media use, the Florida Phoenix reported.

“I am proud of the work of all our bill sponsors, Representatives Tyler Sirois, Fiona McFarland, Michele Rayner, Chase Tramont and Toby Overdorf for delivering a legislative framework that prioritizes keeping our children safe," Renner said. Thanks to Gov. DeSantis’ signature, Florida leads the way in protecting children online as states across the country fight to address these dangers.”