Minors in Florida could soon see their social media accounts get wiped clean in two weeks if a state law banning certain apps can hold up against litigation, the Washington Examiner reported Tuesday.
The new legislation, set to take effect Jan. 1, prohibits children 14 years and younger from having social media profiles. How the law will be enforced and if it will remain legal are still in question. The bill seeks to prevent children from creating accounts on highly addictive apps such as TikTok, Facebook, SnapChat, YouTube, and Discord.
Tech companies are expected to fight the measure by arguing access to social media is a First Amendment issue and should be protected.
Sara Hammond is an attorney for the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which is representing companies in the lawsuit, and has asked a judge to issue an injunction.
"It's obviously a huge safety concern. I understand where they're coming from, the government, but I don't think it can be understated that part of the problem is not just kids having access, it's other people having access to kids," Hammond told WTVT-TV in Tampa, Florida.
Politicians supporting the measure have argued that tech companies aren't doing enough to protect minors, and app developers cannot keep up with predators looking to exploit children.
"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," Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said. "You could be doing everything right, but they know how to get and manipulate these different platforms."
The bill was a priority of Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, who said parents and children aren't warned of the damages the relentless barrage of stimuli can do to a developing mind.
"A child in their brain development doesn't have the ability to know that they're being sucked into these addictive technologies and to see the harm and step away from it, and because of that, we have to step in for them," Renner said at the bill's signing.
Social media platforms could be fined up to $50,000 per violation if they "knowingly or recklessly" violate the law. Platforms that do not close accounts after being asked to do so by the minor or parents could be liable up to $10,000 in damages plus legal fees.
"You've got to strike that proper balance when you are looking at these things between policy that is helping parents get to where they want to go versus policy that may be outright overruling parents," DeSantis said.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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