Florida bill could ban minors from using social media

Banning Florida kids from TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, you name it. That’s the goal of a proposed house bill.

It’s aimed at keeping kids under 16 from creating social media accounts.

It would also give parents more control over the accounts their kids already have.

This bill is up for consideration in Tuesday’s legislative session.

Any existing accounts “reasonably known” to belong to a minor below the age of 16 would have to be terminated by the social media companies or by parents who request it.

House Bill One would require social media platforms to bar minors under 16 from creating accounts, though not everyone agrees with it.

“Anytime you replace parenting abilities with a law, I just don’t think that is going to go well,” said Taylor Neville, a parent.

Children’s mental health expert Carolyn Staley-Penix from Naples Alliance on Mental Illness, thinks it might just be about time for the law to step in.

“It’s hard for parents who have the best intentions to keep up with the impact, to do the research,” Staley-Penix said.

And if social media is not available to children in the first place, Staley-Penix thinks it could help.

“It’s very hard for young children who don’t have that balance to know this isn’t real,” Staley-Penix said.

She said using apps like Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok can lead to aggression, even addiction.

“Children do grow up too soon. They aren’t prepared for it,” Staley-Penix said.

The bill would require social media platforms to verify a person’s age when creating accounts. It would also require platforms to terminate existing accounts that are “reasonably known” to be held by minors younger than 16.

If you want to learn more, click here to read the full 10-page bill.