Social media bill approved by Florida House restricting use for kids

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Florida House on Wednesday passed a bill that seeks to prevent children under age 16 from having social media accounts.

The House voted 106-13 to approve the measure (HB 1), a priority of House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast. The issue will go to the Senate amid arguments from parts of the tech industry that the bill would be unconstitutional.

If the bill becomes law, anyone under 16 with a social media account will have to terminate that account. Violations could lead to a $10,000 fine for the social media company.

"I see the benefit of it," said Joe O’Donnell, the father of two children, ages 12 and 18. "It is dangerous, there’s no doubt about that."

State Representative Tyler Sirois, a Merritt Island Republican, co-sponsored the bill.

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"As a legislature and as parents, we have no higher priority than protecting our children," he said. "We know that social media companies deploy features that are addictive and content that is harmful."

When it comes to the First Amendment, teenagers have the same constitutional rights as adults, and attorneys see a problem with the bill. However, there are also parental rights, and some parents say it should be up to them whether they let their kids use those platforms.

A representative for Meta, Facebook’s parent company, sent a statement to FOX 35 News, which read, "We believe this bill, as currently drafted, not only fails to empower parents to make the decision regarding whether their teen may use a social media platform but also fails to create robust, industry-wide standards that help parents and teens manage their online activity."

The bill does have a long list of exclusions, such as email, streaming services, interactive gaming, and online shopping.

The bill itself targets accounts for kids under the age of 16, but it also states that if the social media platform allows minors under the age of 18 to use it, it has to include a link on the home page with disclosures about things like whether it allows edited photos or might be addictive.