JACKSONVILLE, Fla — A new legislative push in Florida is aimed at making the internet safer for children by limiting their access to social media and adult websites.
The changes are split between two bills.
One would require websites that host a substantial amount of adult content, especially porn, to implement age verification measures to prevent children from accessing the material.
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“At what point will we say, when is it enough? I think this bill, to summarize it in one word, says enough,” said bill sponsor State Representative Chase Tramont (R-Port Orange) during an initial committee hearing Thursday.
The other bill carries the designation of HB1, which signifies its importance to Florida’s House Speaker who has made protecting children on the internet his top legislative priority in 2024.
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That bill would require social media companies to implement age verification measures and prohibit them from allowing minors under the age of 16 from creating accounts on their platforms.
Existing accounts held by children 15 years old and younger would have to be deleted by the companies.
“Exhaustive studies have shown that adolescent rates of depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm and suicide have skyrocketed in the United States since social media became prevalent,” said bill sponsor State Representative Tyler Sirois (R-Merritt Island).
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Duval residents Action News Jax spoke with questioned whether the idea would work in practice.
“I think regardless, you’re not gonna be able to keep kids off of the internet or off of social media in general,” said Duval resident Olivia Wichterman.
“I think parents are the ones that need to be stepping in and deciding what is appropriate,” said another Duval local Bonnie Hunter.
State Representative Ashley Gantt (D-Miami) made a similar critique during the bill’s Thursday hearing.
“We talk about parental rights here in the State of Florida and so, it just feels like the government is now telling parents that no, you don’t really have the to make the ultimate decision,” said Gantt.
But Sirois argued the significant harm social media can inflict on children obligates the legislature to begin treating the products in the same way it treats alcohol and gambling.
He closed recounting a conversation he had with a barista about his proposal.
“She said, I think if they had done it a long time ago, I would have enjoyed being a kid. I want you to think about that. It doesn’t have to be that way in the State of Florida,” said Sirois.
Both bills advanced through the first committee this week.
They still have one more stop before reaching the House floor.
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