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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed a law Monday that bans minors under 14 from having social media accounts, despite criticism from several organizations that warn it
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed a law Monday that bans minors under 14 from having social media accounts, despite criticism from several organizations that warn it could violate the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of expression.
“Social media harms children in many ways,” DeSantis explained in a statement, emphasizing that the law would only allow 14- and 15-year-olds to have accounts if they have their parents’ consent.
In addition to limiting social media accounts to those under 14, HB3 imposes new restrictions on visiting pornographic websites, such as requiring age verification.
It also directs companies to delete existing accounts of minors. Failure to do so may result in legal action or a fine of up to $50,000.
DeSantis vetoed previous text approved by the Florida House of Representatives that would have kept the ban age at 16 and required ID for minors to access networks.
With this measure, Florida joins other states such as Arkansas and Utah that have proposed bans on social media use by minors.
The NetChoice Association, which advocates for online freedom of expression, called it “disappointing” that DeSantis signed legislation that could violate the First Amendment regarding access to online resources.
“This level of data collection will jeopardize the privacy of Floridians and violate their rights. “This is about the online safety of all Floridians and children,” he said in a statement.
Source: Aristegui Noticias
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