Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 3, a bill that prohibits children under the age of 14 from becoming social media account holders and allows 14-—15-year-olds to become account holders with parental consent. Below is an official statement from his office and a video from a press conference held this morning, where Gov. DeSantis discussed the new law.
“Social media harms children in a variety of ways,” DeSantis said. “HB 3 gives parents a greater ability to protect their children. Thank you to Speaker Renner for delivering this landmark legislation.”
Specifically, this bill:
- Prevents a minor who is younger than 14 years of age from becoming a social media account holder.
- Empowers parents to decide whether 14- and 15-year-olds can have a social media account.
- Protects the ability of Floridians to remain anonymous online.
In addition to protecting children from the dangers of social media, HB 3 requires pornographic or sexually explicit websites to use age verification to prevent minors from accessing sites that are inappropriate for children.
Governor Ron DeSantis Signs HB3 to Protect Children from the Harms of Social Media https://t.co/9nylhaOIXI
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 25, 2024
