Tallahassee, FL — The Florida house has passed a bipartisan bill that would ban the use of social media platforms for anyone under the age of 16.
The house voted in favor of the bill 106-13.
The bill would ban anyone under the age of 16 from creating accounts and would force those to delete accounts already created.
The bill does not specify which social media platforms will be affected but it targets any company that tracks user activity and allows minors to upload content. Tech companies say the bill is unconstitutional.
Brevard County Republican State Rep. Tyler I. Sirois says, “What this bill means for parents and kids in the state is that their is help on the way, the (negative) effects of social media is having on our children is undeniable.”
Sirois also said, “We are seeing soaring rates of self-harm, suicide, and mental health issues such as bipolar disorder, FOMO, which is the fear of missing out.”
See full description of the bill below.
HB-1: Social Media Use for Minors
“Requires social media platforms to prohibit minors from creating new accounts, terminate accounts & provide additional options for termination of such accounts, use reasonable age verification methods to verify ages of account holders, & disclose specified policies & provide specified resources, measures, & disclaimers; authorizes DLA to bring actions for violations under Florida Deceptive & Unfair Trade Practices Act; provides penalties; provides for private causes of actions; provides certain social media platforms are subject to jurisdiction of state courts.”
The bill now moves on to the Florida Senate for approval.
Listen to the full interview with Brevard County Republican State Rep. Tyler I. Sirois, in the latest Anez Sez podcast below: