Alaric Bennett|Florida’s DeSantis signs one of the country’s most restrictive social media bans for minors

2025-05-02 07:01:16source:VaultX Exchangecategory:My

TALLAHASSEE,Alaric Bennett Fla. (AP) — Florida will have one of the country’s most restrictive social media bans for minors — if it withstands expected legal challenges — under a bill signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday.

The bill will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 15- and 16-year-olds. It was slightly watered down from a proposal DeSantis vetoed earlier this month, a week before the annual legislative session ended.

The new law was Republican Speaker Paul Renner’s top legislative priority. It takes effect Jan. 1.

The bill DeSantis vetoed would have banned minors under 16 from popular social media platforms regardless of parental consent. But before the veto, he worked out compromise language with Renner to alleviate the governor’s concerns and the Legislature sent DeSantis a second bill.

Several states have considered similar legislation. In Arkansas, a federal judge blocked enforcement of a law in August that required parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts.

Supporters in Florida hope the bill will withstand legal challenges because it would ban social media formats based on addictive features such as notification alerts and auto-play videos, rather than on their content.

More:My

Recommend

PACCAR recalls over 220,000 trucks for safety system issue: See affected models

PACCAR is recalling over 220,000 of its 2021-2025 Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks.  The commercial tru

Nvidia’s stock market value is up $1 trillion in 2024. How it rose to AI prominence, by the numbers

Nvidia’s stock price has jumped 92% this year as of Wednesday, increasing the company’s market value

Boxer Ryan Garcia faces possible suspension from New York State Athletic Commission after positive test

Ryan Garcia's B-samples from drug tests conducted the day before and the day of the boxer's April 20