DeSantis Signs New Internet Law

The Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, signed a bill into law requiring parental approval for users under 16 and restricting access to social media for those under 14.

DeSantis (R-Fla.) signed the new legislation on Monday that aims to restrict the use of social media by children. However, the directive is likely to encounter court challenges from the IT industry and perhaps from some pro-freedom advocates.

Youngsters under the age of 14 are not permitted to have social media accounts, and those between the ages of 15 and 16 must have parental permission in order to establish their own account.

The new law, which goes into effect on January 1st, 2025, was GOP Speaker Paul Renner’s top priority.

At the bill-signing ceremony held at a Jacksonville school, Renner stated, “A child does not have the ability to know that they are being sucked into these very addictive technologies and to step away, and because of that, we have to do this for them.””

Prior to DeSantis’ veto, “the law would have prohibited kids under 16 from using well-known social media platforms without parental permission.” However, in order to allay the governor’s worries, he and Renner hammered up a compromise phrase, and the Legislature forwarded DeSantis a second measure, according to AP News.

Several states have discussed passing legislation of this type.

A federal court in Arkansas had stopped the law that would have taken effect in August and needed parental consent before requiring teens to create new social media accounts.

Many proponents in Florida are optimistic that the measure would survive legal challenges since it would outlaw social media forms based on addictive features like auto-play videos and notification alerts rather than their content.

Renner said that he believes social media firms will file a lawsuit “the second after this is signed.” However, what is the deal? We will triumph over them. We are going to defeat them, and we will not give up.

A court of appeals with mostly Republican-nominated judges had just struck down the “Stop Woke Act,” which DeSantis had signed into law two years earlier. He also acknowledged that the First Amendment will challenge the bill.

They determined that it violated the right to free expression for private firms to forbid discussions about racial inequality during employee training.

“I reject any measure that I see if I do not think it is constitutional,” DeSantis declared, reassuring everyone that the social media restriction will remain in place. “We not only won my approval, but we also, I believe, upheld the law and the Constitution fairly.”

Both chambers passed the law with resounding support from the majority of Republicans and a sizable portion of Democrats. Opponents said that it is unlawful for the government to meddle in decisions parents make for their children.

According to a news release, Representative Anna Eskamani (D-Fla.) commented, “This measure goes too far in taking away parents’ rights.” “It would be preferable to assure greater parental monitoring tools and increased access to data to combat bad actors, with huge expenditures in Florida’s mental health institutions and initiatives, instead of outlawing access to social media.”