Bill would prohibit teenagers from creating an account, and is now headed to the state’s Republican-controlled senate

Bill would prohibit teenagers from creating an account, and is now headed to the state’s Republican-controlled senate

Florida lawmakers advanced a bill on Wednesday that would prohibit social media platforms from allowing young teens to have an account while requiring everyone else to verify their age.

The measure prohibits anyone under 16 from creating a new social media account and requires platforms to delete existing accounts held by minors who are younger than 16. It also would require social media companies to delete any personal information from the accounts and for the platforms to use a “nongovernmental, independent, third-party not affiliated with the social media platform” to verify users’ age.

The bill passed the Florida house with a bipartisan 106-13 vote and now heads to the Republican-controlled senate.

  • oxjox@lemmy.mlEnglish
    23·
    5 months ago

    It’s so weird how the party of family values and limited government consistently aim to impose restrictions on parents.

    I’m not opposed to kids being restricted from social media (I might go as far as fully supporting it), but that’s the job of the parent, not Florida.

    “These dopamine hits [from social media] are so addictive, it’s like a digital fentanyl,” Fiona McFarland, a Republican state lawmaker who cosponsored the legislation, said on the house floor on Wednesday, according to Politico. “And even the most plugged-in parent or attuned teen has a hard time shutting the door against these addictive features.”

    You said it yourself… kids AND parents are both susceptible to the addiction. Are you going to ban social media for adults, legislators, grandmas? Trump lives in Florida. Please, can you ban him too??

    • NoIWontPickaName@kbin.social
      29·
      5 months ago

      Your logic doesn’t hold up, we already restrict some addictive things only to adults, the big two being nicotine and alcohol