Last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill that would have imposed stricter restrictions on the ability of minors to use social media. However, DeSantis’ veto appears to be less about a commitment to keep the state out of parental decisions—such as whether to let a teenager off social media—and more about the possibility of the bill being repealed after a legal challenge.
The original bill, House Bill 1, would have prohibited people under the age of 16 from creating accounts on most social media sites and required companies to delete accounts that they believe may — but not necessarily — be deleted. Not verified – owned by users under the age of 16. The bill would require social media sites to use a third party to verify the age of users. Companies that violate the law can be fined up to $50,000 per incident.
The bill was widely popular and passed the Florida Senate by a 30-5 vote. But DeSantis vetoed the bill last week. in a post X (formerly Twitter), DeSantis wrote that he vetoed the bill to make way for a higher proposal.
“I vetoed HB 1 because the Legislature is going to craft a different, superior bill,” DeSantis said. wrote on friday “Protecting children from social media-related harm is essential, as is supporting parental rights and preserving adults’ ability to engage in anonymous speech.”
The replacement bill, HB 3, retains many of the same provisions as HB 1, albeit an updated bill There is no need to terminate the accounts of the younger age as possible. Additionally, an amendment recently passed by the state senate would allow 14- and 15-year-olds to create social media accounts with parental permission but would place a complete ban on younger children.
Even with the lower age restriction, Florida’s new social media age verification bill will still likely face legal challenges, as have many other states that have enacted similar laws. While forcing social media companies to kick children off their platforms has become an increasingly popular proposal in state legislatures, such restrictions almost inevitably violate minors’ First Amendment rights to access social media content. are doing