In a decisive move, the Florida House Judiciary Committee has voted 17-5 to approve a bill (HB 1) aimed at prohibiting children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms. The legislation, spearheaded by Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, is now on the verge of proceeding to the full House, where it is expected to secure approval.
Renner and fellow lawmakers argue that social media poses inherent risks to children, prompting the need for preventative measures. The proposed bill seeks to prevent minors under 16 from creating social media accounts and mandates platforms to terminate existing accounts “reasonably known” to be held by individuals below the age of 16. Additionally, parents would have the authority to request the termination of their minor children’s accounts.
Co-sponsor Rep. Fiona McFarland, a Sarasota Republican, emphasized the potential harms to children’s mental health, stating that the negatives of social media use for young people outweigh the benefits.
“This is a bold bill,” McFarland asserted. “Through this bill, we’re saying that the product of social media is harmful to young people under the age of 16.”
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However, critics of the bill argue that parents should retain the right to decide whether their children can access social media platforms. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, along with NetChoice, a tech industry group, voiced their reservations about the proposed legislation.
Caulder Harvill-Childs, Public Policy Manager in the Southeast for Meta, expressed Meta’s recognition of the bill’s goals but criticized its current draft. In a letter to Judiciary Chairman Tommy Gregory, R-Lakewood Ranch, Harvill-Childs argued that the bill failed to empower parents and lacked industry-wide standards to manage online activity effectively.
NetChoice, on its website, went further to claim that the bill had “constitutional flaws,” pointing to similar restrictions blocked by federal courts in other states. The industry group contended that HB 1 would infringe on minors’ First Amendment rights by imposing a broad restriction on access to constitutionally protected speech for those under 16 or non-compliant with age-verification requirements.
Despite these criticisms, Rep. Tyler Sirois, a Merritt Island Republican and co-sponsor of the bill, maintained that the state has a “compelling interest” in safeguarding children from the content and addictive features prevalent in social media platforms.
“I think what we’ve established here is a bright line where we recognize that these platforms, this industry, is not appropriate for minors under the age of 16,” Sirois affirmed.
The proposed legislation mandates social media platforms to use independent organizations for age verifications during account creation, denying access to those who fail to verify their ages. However, Meta’s Harvill-Childs raised concerns about data privacy and constitutionality related to the age-verification aspect, emphasizing potential risks associated with sensitive information.
The bill also empowers the attorney general to file civil lawsuits for violations, potentially leading to fines for non-compliant social media platforms. In a parallel move, the Judiciary Committee unanimously approved another bill (HB 3), a Renner priority, that seeks age verification to restrict people under 18 from accessing explicit content online.
As Florida advances these measures, the unfolding debate underscores the balancing act between protecting minors from potential online harm and addressing concerns about parental rights, free speech, and data privacy. The final decision on these bills will likely shape the landscape of social media usage for minors in the state.