Florida House advances bills designed to protect children online

(The Center Square) — Florida lawmakers are advancing new bills to keep children in the Sunshine State safer that would add age restrictions to social media platforms and requiring adult websites to have stricter age verification methods.

Opponents say the bill that would add age requirements for social media is too broad and threatens parental rights.

House Bill 1 is co-sponsored by state Rep. Tyler Siriois, R-Merritt Island, Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, and Rep. Michele Rayner, D-St. Petersburg, and if signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, would prohibit children under 16 from creating a social media account and further require social media platforms to "employ commercially reasonable age verification methods."

According to House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, social media platforms use features that are designed to keep users "hooked" for long periods of time, while studies have shown that overuse of the internet and social media can have a detrimental effect on the mental health and well-being of children.

"We must address the harmful effects social media platforms have on the development and well-being of our kids. Florida has a compelling state interest and duty to protect our children, their mental health, and their childhood. I'm grateful to the members of this body for their decisive action to fight for our kids and their ability to thrive." Renner said in a news release.

Bill sponsor Sirois also stated in the news release that a person doesn't have to be a parent to understand how addictive social media platforms have become.

"Even our children know social media is harming them, but due to addiction and peer pressure, they are unable to step away. It's been an honor to work with Speaker Renner and Representatives McFarland and Rayner to craft legislation that rescues our kids from the tight grip of these platforms." Sirois said.

During the bill's third reading, there was pushback from Rep. Daryl Campbell, D-Fort Lauderdale.

"I want to raise concerns around this bill, one is parental rights," Campbell said. "A parent's legal authority to make decisions about their child's care, custody, and discipline. This is a complete governmental overreach."

Rep. Anna Eskmani, D-Orlando, also noted during the bill's debate that it was too broad and could have unintended consequences.

The House also advanced HB 3, sponsored by Reps. Chase Tramont, R-Port Orange, and Toby Overdorf, R-Palm City, which would require age verification by websites and applications that publish adult material. Several states, including Louisiana and Mississippi, have passed similar legislation.