The governor of Florida,
Ron DeSantis
, signed this Monday one of
the most restrictive prohibitions on the use of social networks
for minors.
If the initiative survives the legal challenges that are looming due to the controversial measure,
minors under 14 years of age will not be able to have accounts
on any social network, while
adolescents between 14 and 15 must have authorization
from their parents.
DeSantis' proposal comes at a time when the United States
questions the impact of internet giants on youth
, and aims to "
help parents navigate
this very difficult terrain we have now with raising children," the Republican governor assured when signing it.
For this reason, the rule also
forces technology companies to eliminate the accounts of minors under 14 years of age
in these applications, under penalty of fines, in addition to establishing age verification mechanisms on internet pages with pornographic content.
Most
of these platforms require a
minimum age of 13
to open an account, although they do little to ensure this is enforced.
The new law, the top legislative priority of the speaker of the state Assembly and the initiative's main sponsor, Republican Paul Renner,
is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2025
.
Ron DeSantis is one of the main allies of Donald Trump, who had tried to ban TikTok.
Photo Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP
"We know (...) that more crimes against children occur on these platforms
than anywhere else
," Renner declared.
"We also know that social media has had a
devastating effect on the mental well-being
of our children," she added.
This law is a
softer version
of one DeSantis vetoed a few days ago, which
prohibited
minors
under 16
from accessing popular
social media
platforms without regard to parental consent.
But before the veto, the governor reached an agreement with Renner on wording of the initiative to address his concerns, and the legislature sent a second bill to DeSantis.
The judicial tide awaiting the ban on social networks for minors and the Republican comparison with drugs
At the press conference, Renner, who made this project a priority in the last session, announced that state legislators
anticipate that the text signed this Monday will be disputed in court
.
"You better understand that
I am going to fight with all my might to defend this
in court," Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody warned at the same press conference.
You can already see challenges coming.
Before the signing,
the NetChoice coalition
, which represents social media platforms, announced that
the law was "unconstitutional"
and that in practice
it will not protect any Florida children
.
Renner said he expects social media companies to “file
a lawsuit a second after
this is enacted.
But you know what?
We are going to defeat them.
We are going to beat them and we will never, ever stop
.”
Republican officials expect lawsuits from social media companies.
AP Photo / Thibault Camus
DeSantis also admitted that
the law will face challenges over issues related to the Constitution's first amendment
, and complained about the fact that the
Stop Woke
Act he signed two years ago was
recently struck down
by an appeals court in Washington. mostly by Republican-appointed judges.
The justices determined that the measure
violated the right to freedom of expression
by prohibiting private businesses from having discussions about racial inequality during job training.
Supporters of the measure in Florida hope it survives lawsuits because
it will ban social media formats based on addictive traits
, such as push notifications and videos, and not their content.
"
The infinite scroll or the likes and hearts
that give (...) that little
shot
of drug to your brain
that makes you want to be connected longer and longer," are some of the
addictive characteristics
by which Renner justified the need for the law.
The Florida ban
joins other similar ones that took place in states across the country
, which could not come into effect after lawsuits filed by the coalition of social media companies, such as
Meta or TikTok
, which allege that the measures violate against the right to free expression of minors.
Several states are considering similar measures
.
In
Arkansas
, a federal judge blocked enforcement of a law in August that required parental consent for a minor to create a new social media account.
With information from EFE, AP and AFP
D.S.