What to Make of Florida's New Social Media Ban for Kids
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a new law prohibiting children under 14 from holding social media accounts and requiring parental consent for account creation for anyone aged 14-15.
The Details: The law requires people under 14 who have accounts to delete them. It also demands enhanced age verification for sites containing 'obscene' or 'harmful' content.
The Debate: Supporters view this as a welcome step towards child safety. Critics question the law's enforceability, querying account detection methods, use of VPNs by children, and age verification standards.
What Supporters Said: "Kudos to DeSantis for slamming on the brakes" on "distracting and destructive" social media apps, said Fox News's Greg Gutfeld (Lean Right bias). The governor "took a big step to protect kids," said CBN (Right).
What Critics Said: Voices across the spectrum said the move was an infringement on personal freedoms. DeSantis "betrayed his promise to champion parental rights," said Brad Polumbo (Lean Right). The Miami Herald Editorial Board (Lean Left bias) said we're all "allowed to have an opinion about when and whether children should have access to social media but enshrining it in law may be a step too far." Reason (Lean Right) said the law "places draconian limits on young people's ability to make social media accounts—and requires sites to infringe upon everyone else's privacy in the process."
Will It Stick? "Other laws seeking to crack down on social-media use haven’t fared well in the courts," said The Wall Street Journal (Center). This summary was developed with the help of AllSides' AI technology.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Florida’s new social media ban makes a big splash but here’s how it will cost us
If news is consumed in sound bites and headlines on social media, Florida’s new social media ban for minors could be a big win for lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis.
They get to claim, “We’re fighting for children” — no doubt that’ll be the soundbite — and hope that Floridians stop paying attention when the law is caught up in legal challenges that might prevent it from ever taking effect.
It’s hard to feel any sympathy for the so-called “Big Tech” companies that will be impacted by it. And who...
From the Center
Can Florida’s Social-Media Ban for Minors Work?
Newly signed legislation in Florida prohibits people under 14 years of age from having social-media accounts, regardless of parental consent. It is due to go into effect Jan. 1.
Here is a look at the law, including whether it is likely to withstand court challenges, why verifying users’ ages is tricky and how minors are currently protected online.
What does the new law require?
The law requires social-media companies to close accounts believed to be used by minors under that age, cancel accounts of minors 14 or 15 years old at the...
From the Right
Ron DeSantis just betrayed his promise to champion parental rights
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has long positioned himself as a champion of “parents’ rights,” and that pitch is a huge part of his broad appeal to the public. But the Florida Republican just signed a bill into law that betrays those promises.
The new law is supposed to protect children from the alleged harms of social media. It does this in two major ways: by outright prohibiting Floridians under age 14 from having social media accounts and requiring that 14- and 15-year-olds obtain parental permission before they can have a social media account.
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