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The bill also requires parents’ consent to allow social media use for 14 and 15-year-olds.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 3 into law during a press conference in Jacksonville Monday morning. The bill prohibits social media platforms from allowing children 13 and under to create new accounts and requires the platforms to terminate current accounts held by that age group. The bill also requires parents’ consent to allow social media use for 14 and 15-year-olds.
Attorney General Ashley Moody who was also at the press conference, said the bill is “taking care of issues before they overwhelm our state.” She also said social media companies have “algorithms specifically designed to addict people,” and in this case to what the law is focused on, minors specifically.
“Social media is the primary platform in which children are trafficked,” Florida House Speaker Paul Renner said. “More crimes against children happen on these platforms than any other venue.”
Renner said children don’t know they are being sucked into “addictive technology” and that as a result, anorexia rates and self-harm have “skyrocketed.” However, Renner did not clarify if these instances have happened statewide, nationally, or both.
DeSantis said: “We didn’t focus on content [in the bill].” He instead said that the “addictive features” children are exposed to on the apps, are addressed in the law.
“Now with things like social media and all of this, you can have a kid in the house, safe seemingly, but you still can have predators that can get right in there, into your own home,” DeSantis explained.
DeSantis, Renner, Moody and others supporting the bill now law, say that kids who partake in “infinite scrolling” and receive/give likes, get a dopamine, an area of the brain that gives you feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation.
“In Florida, you are no longer going to build your business on the backs of our children,” said Florida Representative Tyler Sirois. “We are going to protect our kids from this digital fentanyl.”
Duval County School Board Member April Carney said aside from the new law, a new policy is also coming that will only effect kids in the county.
“As a parent, as a school board member, I am going to be putting forward policy here in Duval County that we are no longer allow cellphones during the day, and that would be coming forward this year.”
The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2025.
