vetoed<\/a> a more restrictive version of the bill that would have banned social media accounts for kids under 16. That bill also required Florida residents to submit an ID or other identifying materials in order to join social media. <\/p>\nHB3, which is slated to take effect in January 2025, comes as efforts to regulate social media continue to ramp up across the U.S. amid concerns from some parents that the platforms don\u2019t do enough to keep their kids safe online.<\/p>\n
In December,\u00a0more than 200 organizations sent a letter\u00a0urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to schedule a vote on the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, which seeks to create liability, or a \u201cduty of care,\u201d for apps and online platforms that recommend content to minors that can negatively affect their mental health.<\/p>\n
In January, lawmakers grilled CEOs from TikTok, X and Meta about online child safety. The tech executives reaffirmed their commitment to child safety, and pointed to various tools they offer as examples of how they are proactive about preventing exploitation online.<\/p>\n
Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and other advocates of the new law argue that social media use can harm children\u2019s mental health and can lead to sexual predators communicating with minors.<\/p>\n
“None of us can afford to be on the sidelines when it comes to social media,” Renner said in remarks made at the bill signing. <\/p>\n
Several states that have enacted similar laws to limit teen social media \u2014 including Ohio and Arkansas \u2014 have been challenged by NetChoice LLC, a coalition of social media platforms whose members include Meta, Google and X, among others. <\/p>\n
Florida\u2019s law is also expected to face legal challenges over claims that it violates the First Amendment. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re disappointed to see Gov. DeSantis sign onto this route,\u201d Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel for NetChoice, said in an email statement, calling the law “unconstitutional.” \u201cThere are better ways to keep Floridians, their families and their data safe and secure online without violating their freedoms.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both DeSantis and Renner alluded in their remarks to the potential legal hurdles ahead.<\/p>\n
“You will not find a line in this bill that addresses good speech or bad speech because that would violate the First Amendment,” Renner said. “We’ve not addressed that at all. What we have addressed is the addictive features that are at the heart of why children stay on these platforms for hours and hours on end.”<\/p>\n
He specifically called out NetChoice, saying, \u201cWe\u2019re going to beat them, and we\u2019re never ever going to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
DeSantis argued the bill is constitutionally sound.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny time I see a bill, if I don\u2019t think it\u2019s constitutional, I veto it,\u201d he said. He described the bill as “a fair application of the law and Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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