DeSantis Signs Bill to Prohibit Children Under 14 from Creating Social Media Accounts, Requiring Parental Consent for 14-15 Year Olds

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.