Ban on Social Media for children?

Florida Lawmakers Approve Ban on Social Media Use for Children

Legislation to keep children under the age of 16 off social media has been approved by Florida’s House and Senate and only requires Governor Ron DeSantis’ signature to bring it into effect.

DeSantis, however, has not yet confirmed that he will approve it and has expressed some concerns over the content and reach of the bill. He also pointed out that there already exists a federal law banning children under 13 from using social media platforms, yet this is not generally enforced.

The legislation demands that social media sites delete accounts belonging to any minor under 16 years of age. It also requires that they use third-party software to verify that a user is aged 16 or over before allowing them to create their account.

The bill is aimed at sites and apps that have potentially addictive aspects, such as notifications, videos that automatically play, and infinite scrolling. It does not, however, block sites whose primary function is the sending and receiving of direct messages such as emails.

The bill had support from Democrats and Republicans and passed the House vote with a majority of 108-7 as they believe that social media companies were manipulating children by use of “addictive features.”

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Personally, I believe that parents need to take a pro-active approach with their children. It is up to them to keep them out of harm's way and know what they are viewing on social media, who they hang out with and what they are doing... not the government interfering in their lives in this respect. Parents have abdicated their responsibility in many ways. Kids rule them.