MIAMI.- Florida legislators present a bill that, if approved, would prohibit the use of social platforms by minors under 16 years of age throughout the state.
The bill, HB-1, introduced last Friday by Republican Representatives Tyler Sirois of Merritt Island and Fiona McFarland of Sarasota, will be discussed in the legislative session in Tallahassee that begins January 9, 2024.
The 10-page draft law requires technology companies to implement methods that prevent minors under 16 from creating social media accounts. Requires companies to cancel existing accounts of minors and gives parents the authority to request cancellation of the accounts of their children under 16 years of age.
Before its approval in the House, the project must survive discussions in the different committees. It is striking that the HB-1 designation is usually reserved for priority legislation for the leadership of that legislative body.
“The data linking the use of social networks by adolescents with mental health problems is clear”…. “We know they are an addictive and harmful product that we should keep out of the hands of Florida’s youth,” said Rep. McFarland.
For his part, Sirois, who chairs the House Regulatory Reform and Economic Development subcommittee, said children are experiencing increasing rates of mental disorders and self-harm.
“As parents we have no greater responsibility than to keep our children safe.”
The bill defines social media platform as those online forums offered by an entity with the ability to track the activity of an account holder or user. It is the platform where the user or owner can create or use a profile, an account or another form of identification, to upload content or view the content or activity of other users, interact with them and track their publications. Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, WhatsApp and YouTube fit very well into this description.
On the other hand, the project excludes minors from the prohibition of services on lines or websites or applications whose predominant or exclusive function is email, direct messaging, or where photos or videos are shared, only between the sender and the recipient. and “do not do it in public forums.”
The legislation also allows minors under 16 years of age to access academic and teaching sites and those where art is exhibited and there is electronic commerce “as long as interaction with other users is limited to publishing and reading reviews.”
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