This browser does not support the Video element.
Florida proposes social media limits for kids
Florida officials are proposing strict new limits on teen social media accounts—including an overnight app shutdown—following more than 2,000 child predator arrests across the state.
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Florida officials are proposing strict new restrictions on tech platforms after state law enforcement tied more than 1,000 child predator cases directly to online chat rooms.
Florida social media restrictions
What we know:
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that his office participated in 2,100 child predator arrests over the past year, noting that children frequently do not realize they are communicating with adults in online chat rooms. Uthmeier highlighted House Bill 3, a state law banning children under 14 from having social media accounts. Big tech companies sued the state citing First Amendment rights, but Uthmeier noted, "We beat 'em in court." The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to uphold the law, allowing Florida to take non-compliant companies to court.
What we don't know:
It remains unclear when the Florida Legislature might vote on the attorney general's newest proposed regulations or how quickly app stores and phone companies could implement the required age verification systems.
Proposed teen account limits
By the numbers:
The proposed overhaul targets interactive features on platforms holding teenage accounts. Key policy measures include:
- A default quiet mode shutting down social media apps for teen accounts between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.
- Usage caps restricted to two hours daily and 60 hours monthly for children.
- A mandatory human physical review within 48 hours whenever a predator, solicitation, or exploitation report is filed.
- A strict one-strike rule permanently banning adults caught soliciting personal information, photographs, or sexually explicit material.
- Teenage accounts cannot be promoted outside to other users.
- Penalties for violations will be upward of $50K.
Tech features and safety
What they're saying:
Uthmeier emphasized that addictive app features keep young people away from schoolwork and affect mental health. "We want to make sure that these addictive features, the streaming, the non-stop push notifications and things, the default is this is all turned off," Uthmeier said. "The evidence has shown these are addictive features that captivate young people and keep them away from their education, their schoolwork. The default needs to be that these are turned off unless the parents want to turn them on. We want cosmetic, physical-altering features disabled. A lot of the mental health, a lot of the suicides, you see these young boys and girls who change their image to look different. It really is messing up the minds. It's warping the minds of our young people."
During Thursday's press conference, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd praised Uthmeier for targeting child sex predators. "We know the social media app designed specifically to attract children, the gaming apps designed to attract children, are the environment where these predators are going to groom our children," Judd stated.
Lakeland resident and mother of two homeschooled children, Hillary Thorn, was given the opportunity during the news conference to voice her concerns when it comes to her kids and social media.
"It’s not necessarily my kids having more access to the world that’s a huge issue to me, rather the world having more access to them," said Thorn.
She’s glad companies are being held accountable.
"There’s only so much we can do and without those guardrails at the social media companies’ level, it’s hard to do our jobs effectively as parents when they’re targeting our children," she said.
Meta legal payout dispute
The backstory:
Florida opted out of a settlement with Meta because Uthmeier believes the state can secure a larger financial award through litigation. On Wednesday, New Mexico received a $25 million award from Meta, an amount Uthmeier characterized as significantly smaller than what Florida aims to recover. Uthmeier added that major tech firms generate trillions of dollars, stating, "We are going to make them pay and they are going to have to change their programming to make sure kids stop getting hurt."
App store age verification
Big picture view:
An overarching proposal seeks to hold phone companies and app stores directly accountable for ensuring proper age verification on social media accounts. Uthmeier stressed the urgency of the regulations, stating, "These things are going to save lives. Our kids are too important."
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from a press conference featuring Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, as well as court records from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.