Deadline for controversial social media bill arrives; Will DeSantis sign it into law?

Your control as a parent will stay or your children under 16 will be banned from social media as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis decides whether to sign a controversial bill.

On Friday, DeSantis will decide whether or not to sign the controversial social media bill into law.

There’s information Friday morning that the governor is close to an alternative to the bill.

“A parent, you know, has the right to opt in if they think, because as much as I think it’s harmful to have people on these social media platforms for five or six hours a day, that a parent can supervise a kid to use it more sparingly,” said DeSantis.

The possible alternatives are not precisely known, just that DeSantis and House Speaker Paul Renner are discussing and working together on the bill.

DeSantis has raised questions about the bill’s constitutionality and whether it oversteps on parents’ rights.

The bill’s goal is to keep kids under 16 off social media.

It would prevent them from creating accounts on some social media platforms. It also terminates existing accounts they believe are held by minors under 16.

Renner has made this bill a priority this legislative session. He and DeSantis met Monday to try to work out the issue.

Supporters believe social media harms the mental health of children and exposes them to sexual predators, while opponents argue parents should be the ones to decide whether kids can use it.

“We’re talking about businesses that are using addictive features to engage in mass manipulation of our children, to cause them harm,” said State Sen. Erin Grall.

“Social media has become harmful not just to children but also to adults, but it is not the legislature’s job to teach the parents how to parent,” said State Sen. Shevrin Jones.

We’ll find out on Friday whether DeSantis signs the bill, vetoes it, sends it back for changes, or does nothing, and it becomes law without his signature.