DeSantis puts final stamp on Florida law blocking kids from social media

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday aimed at kicking minors off social media, putting the final stamp on a top Florida Republican priority that is widely expected to face legal challenges from the tech industry.

Under the new law, many platforms are prohibited from allowing children younger than 14 to have an account. State leaders contend that accessing social media is harmful to their development and mental health. The measure, which also targets adult websites, aligns Florida with other states like Arkansas and Utah that have attempted to rein in social media use, drawing the ire of the tech companies and free speech advocates.

“It used to be, ‘Well, if they’re out somewhere, maybe they’re not supervised, maybe some predator can strike,’” DeSantis said during a bill signing at a Jacksonville charter school. “Now, with things like social media and all this, you can have a kid in the house — safe, seemingly — and then you have predators that can get right in there — into your own home.”

Florida’s legislation, FL HB3 (24R), represents a compromise between DeSantis and lawmakers, led by state House Speaker Paul Renner, who initially proposed enacting the strictest social media prohibitions in the country.

The original bill, vetoed by DeSantis earlier this month, would have blocked all minors younger than 16 from many social media platforms. The law DeSantis ultimately signed Monday gives parents the power to grant 14- and 15-year-olds consent to use the applications.

The legislation includes a provision that would scrap that parental consent option if the courts determine the platforms pose a harm to minors. Lawmakers also removed a provision explicitly detailing how social media platforms must verify the age of users, leaving it up to the companies to determine how to meet the requirements. Instead of targeting specific social media platforms, the law was crafted to restrict access to any platforms that deploy "addictive" features, such as “infinite scrolling,” algorithms and push notifications.

“Our bill is focused on addiction,” Renner, a Palm Coast Republican, said Monday. “Unlike an adult who can make an adult decision … a child in their brain development doesn’t have the ability to know they are being sucked in to these addictive technologies, and to see the harm and step away from it.”

Florida’s social media law also targets children accessing online adult content by requiring websites that publish materials “harmful to minors” to take steps to verify age to prevent anyone younger than 18 from accessing them — a policy expected to face blowback, especially from the pornography industry.

Republican leaders and Democrats supporting the legislation say the restrictions are meant to curb serious issues plaguing children across the state, including cases of bullying, depression, social pressure and even suicide tied to accessing social media. They contend the law could protect kids from human trafficking, potential abuse and other dangers facing them online.

Opponents — including social media giants like Meta and several lawmakers — have argued the law is a violation of free speech rights and strips authority away from parents.

One vocal critic of Florida’s legislation, NetChoice, a trade group associated with Meta, TikTok and X, claims the law is ripe for a court challenge. The group, which has sued states over similar laws and urged for a DeSantis veto, claims the Florida policy creates “ID for the internet” and puts restrictions on all Floridians regardless of age.

“We’re disappointed to see Gov. DeSantis sign onto this route,” Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel for NetChoice, said in a statement Monday morning. “There are better ways to keep Floridians, their families and their data safe and secure online without violating their freedoms.”

With the threat of a lawsuit looming, Renner signaled Monday that Florida was ready for the possible court battle to come, calling out NetChoice by name during the bill signing.

“If I said to you that a company was going to take children [and] use addiction that causes them harm for profit, what does that sound like? Sounds like trafficking to me,” Renner said. “We’re going to beat them, and we’re never ever going to stop.”