Florida bans youngsters beneath 14 from social media in sweeping new legislation

Mar 26, 2024 at 8:24 PM

Children beneath 14 will likely be barred from becoming a member of social media in Florida from subsequent 12 months.

Signed into legislation by governor Ron DeSantis, the laws directs social media companies to delete the accounts of under-14s.

Children aged 14 and 15 may even want parental consent earlier than signing up for platforms like Instagram and Snapchat.

Companies who fail to delete accounts danger being sued on behalf of youngsters – with the minor awarded as much as $10,000 (£7,908) – and may be fined as much as $50,000 (£39,538) per violation of the legislation.

It’s set to come back into impact in Florida from January subsequent 12 months, however challenges by companies claiming it violates the US structure are anticipated.

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The state’s Republican speaker Paul Renner referred to as the invoice his prime precedence and mentioned that “a child in their brain development doesn’t have the ability to know that they’re being sucked into these addictive technologies”.

The invoice additionally defines materials dangerous to youngsters as together with content material “lacking serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors”, along with “patently offensive” depictions of sexual conduct and indecency.

Firms that fail to ban entry to such materials, or prohibit future entry to a minor after it’s reported, are “liable to the minor for such access, including court costs and reasonable attorney fees”.

‘We’re going to beat them’

Mr Renner admitted he is aware of social media companies will “sue the second this is signed”, however mentioned: “We’re going to beat them. We’re going to beat them and we’re never, ever going to stop.”

Mr DeSantis, who lately suspended his campaign to be the Republican nominee for president, additionally backed the invoice and mentioned “we not only satisfied me, but we also satisfied, I think, a fair application of the law and constitution”.

NetChoice, a commerce group linked with Meta, TikTok and X, has claimed that the Florida coverage creates “ID for the internet” and places restrictions on all Floridians no matter age.

“We’re disappointed to see Gov. DeSantis sign onto this route,” Carl Szabo, NetChoice vice chairman and common counsel, mentioned in an announcement.

“There are better ways to keep Floridians, their families and their data safe and secure online without violating their freedoms.”