Governor Signs Legislation to Protect Children on Social Media

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 3, which 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 bill will provide the following protections:

• Prevents a minor who is younger than 14 years of age from becoming a social media account holder.

• Empowers parents to decide whether 14- and 15-year-olds can have a social media account.

• Protects the ability of Floridians to remain anonymous online.

"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."

"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. "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."

Officials say that in addition to protecting children from the dangers of social media, HB 3 requires pornographic or sexually explicit websites to use age verification to prevent minors from accessing sites that are inappropriate for children.