TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A bill, which restricts the use of social media for thousands of Florida teenagers, is now headed to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The Florida House passed HB1 on Thursday afternoon by a vote of 108 to 7.
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The House had the final say on the bill after the Florida Senate passed the bill earlier on Thursday by a vote of 23 to 14.
HB 1 would restrict teenagers under the age of 16 from creating social media accounts and provide options for termination of their existing accounts.
In the past, DeSantis has questioned if it will pass legal muster.
He was asked about the bill during an appearance in Lake Buena Vista on Thursday.
“It’s still under negotiation,” DeSantis said. “We’re working through those. I don’t think it’s there yet.”
Supporters hope that if the bill becomes law, it would withstand legal challenges because it would ban social media formats based on addictive features such as notification alerts and autoplay videos, rather than the content on their sites.
But opponents say it blatantly violates the First Amendment and that it should left to parents, not the government, to monitor children’s social media use.
The bill would require social media companies to close any accounts it believes to be used by minors and to cancel accounts at the request of a minor or parents. Any information pertaining to the account must be deleted.
If it becomes law, it will go into effect on July 1, 2024.