Social media apps on screen – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Twin Design
After the state Senate approved a bill on Thursday that would prohibit adolescents under the age of 16 from using popular social media platforms without parental consent, Florida is on the approach of enacting one of the strictest prohibitions on minors using social media in the country.
The state House, where the speaker has made the legislation his top priority for the concluding legislative session on March 8, will now consider the measure again. Nevertheless, detractors have cited comparable initiatives in other states that were halted by legal action.
The bill aims to target any social media platform that uses elements that are addictive and intended to lead to obsessive or excessive use, tracks user activity, and lets kids contribute content and communicate with others. Supporters cite the rise in juvenile suicide rates, cyberbullying, and the use of social media by predators to prey on youngsters.
The bill’s Republican author, state senator Erin Grall, stated, “We’re talking about businesses that are engaging in mass manipulation of our children to cause them harm.”
A complete prohibition has not been recommended by most states, but comparable legislation has been explored in others. A federal judge in Arkansas stopped a legislation that needed parental approval for teenagers to open new social media accounts from going into effect in August.
Supporters in Florida believe that the plan, which would outlaw social media formats based on addictive features like autoplay videos and notification alerts, rather than the content on their websites, will withstand legal challenges should it become law.
Opponents counter that it should be up to parents, not the government, to keep an eye on their children’s social media use and that it flagrantly violates the First Amendment.
“The year 1850 is not here. Democratic state senator Jason Pizzo stated, “While parents attend school board meetings to demand book bans, their children are glued to their iPads, gazing at graphic content.
If lawmakers want to raise other people’s children, they have other options, he cynically said.
“Let’s have a bill that encourages engaging with your children, cooking dinner, sitting at a table together, making eye contact, calling grandma to see if she’s OK once in a while.” He continued.
With a mix of Republicans and Democrats supporting both sides of the debate, the state Senate voted 23–14 to pass the law. Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has voiced some doubt about the legislation’s current draft.
DeSantis stated that while he was aware that the platforms might be dangerous for minors, parents still needed to keep an eye on their children’s usage.
At a press conference in the Orlando region, DeSantis stated, “We can’t say that 100% of the uses are bad because they’re not.” “I don’t think it’s there yet, but I hope we can get there in a way that answers parents’ concerns.”
Mixed emotions are also felt by some parents.
Central Florida mother Angela Perry said she understood the reasoning behind the bill and that she and her husband delayed allowing their daughter to appear on any significant platforms until she was fifteen. However, she feels that each parent should be free to decide that based on their child’s developmental stage.
“Whatever happened to parental rights?” stated Perry. “My child’s school books are already being chosen by you. That’s OK in certain situations. However, you are now also getting involved in their personal affairs. It is starting to encroach.”
According to the Florida bill, social media companies would have to shut down any accounts they think are being used by children and cancel accounts that a child or their parents request. All data related to the account has to be removed.
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Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
