The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantissanctioned this Monday (25) a bill that limits access to social networks for children under 16 years of age. The rule will come into force on January 1, 2025.
- children under 14 are banned from accessing social media platforms;
- and teenagers between 14 and 15 years old can have access as long as they obtain parental consenta measure that its supporters say will protect them from online mental health risks.
The determination requires social media platforms to close the accounts of those under 14 and teenagers under 16 who do not have parental permission. The order is for them to use a third-party verification system to filter out minors.
The project does not mention any specific platformbut refers to those that allow content to be sent.
The Republican-controlled state legislature approved a bill in February 2024 that would entirely ban children under 16 from accessing social media. DeSantis, also a Republican, had vetoed that bill, saying it limited parental rights.
The amended version allows parents to give consent for teenagers to use social media.
“Social media harms children in many ways,” DeSantis said in a statement. He said the legislation “will give parents greater ability to protect their children.”
Supporters say the law will curb the harmful effects of social media on the well-being of children who use these platforms excessively and who, as a result, may suffer from anxiety, depression and other mental health problems.
Critics said the bill violates the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protections for free speech and that parents, not the government, should make decisions about their children’s online presence, regardless of age.
For a few years now, the application, which has at least 1 billion users worldwide, 170 million of them in the USA, has found itself under pressure in the American market.
The siege tightened on the 13th, when it was approved in the Chamber the proposal that requires the Chinese ByteDance, owner of TikTok, to obtain a new owner for the application in the USA or cease operating in the country. The text went to the Senate for analysis.
Children and adolescents in Brazil receive sexual content on the internet
