DeSantis Signs Bill Banning Kids Under 14 From Social Media, Requires Age Verification For Porn Sites
TALLAHASSEE, Florida - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida House Bill 3 that prohibits children under the age of 14 from becoming social media account holders and allows 14- and 15-year-olds to become account holders with parental consent.
“The internet has become a dark alley for our children where predators target them and dangerous social media leads to higher rates of depression, self-harm, and even suicide,” said House Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Coast).
“I am proud of the work of all our bill sponsors, Representatives Tyler Sirois, Fiona McFarland, Michele Rayner, Chase Tramont, and Toby Overdorf for delivering a legislative framework that prioritizes keeping our children safe. Thanks to Governor DeSantis’ signature, Florida leads the way in protecting children online as states across the country fight to address these dangers.”
Age Verificaiton
HB 3 also requires pornographic or sexually explicit websites to use age verification to prevent minors from accessing sites that are inappropriate for children.
The bill specifies that the age verification method "must be conducted by an independent third party not affiliated with the sexually explicit websites.... [The] third party that performs reasonable age verification methods may not retain any personal identifying information of the person seeking online access to material harmful to minors any longer than is reasonably necessary to verify the age of the person. Any personal identifying information collected for age verification may not be used for any other purpose."
DeSantis vetoed a previous version of the bill that would have required all users, including adults, would have had to divulge their identity for age verification purposes
“Social media harms children in a variety of ways,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “HB 3 gives parents a greater ability to protect their children. Thank you to Speaker Renner for delivering this landmark legislation.”
