Florida Governor Ron Desantis has signed a invoice banning children below 14 from making a social media account, forcing platforms to delete them in the event that they exist.
Kids’s security on social media has been an enormous concern over the previous couple of years, with a number of states throwing across the concept of requiring stronger age verification and parental management.
Florida Governor Ron Desantis is making it occur, having signed a invoice on March 25, 2024, that successfully bans children 15 years previous and youthful from social media.
It states youngsters which are 14 and 15 years of age will need to have parental consent with a view to create an account on web sites like Twitter, Instagram, and Fb.
Unsplash: Alexander Shatov
Florida social media ban takes impact January 1
The legislation additionally says that platforms should terminate these accounts, ought to the teenager or their dad and mom request it to be faraway from the location. In the event that they don’t, firms may be sued on the child’s behalf and could also be answerable for as much as $10,000 in damages every.
“A social media platform shall prohibit a minor who’s 14 or 15 years of age from coming into right into a contract with a social media platform to turn out to be an account holder until the minor’s father or mother or guardian offers consent for the minor to turn out to be an account holder,” it reads.
For youths below the age of 14, the legislation requires the likes of Twitter and Meta to delete the account and create protections that stop them from being created once more till they’re older.
Almost all social media platforms, together with Twitter, Meta-owned Fb and Instagram, and TikTok have a minimal age requirement of 13 years or older. Now that this invoice has been signed, Youngsters in Florida should wait till they’re 14 years previous to hitch social media with parental consent — or 16 with out.
This new Florida legislation will take impact beginning on January 1, 2025.
