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The Florida House handed a bill Wednesday banning children under the age of 16 from creating accounts on social media platforms – even with parental approval – in efforts to maintain children from rising up “hooked” on social media.
House Bill 1, which is sponsored by Republican Rep. Tyler Sirois, handed with a 106-13 bipartisan vote. Supporters argue that children are extra uncovered to bullying and sexual predators on social media, and use can result in melancholy, suicide and habit.
“They’re taking advantage of kids growing up. That’s their business model. And why do they do it? To keep them hooked … with the dopamine hits that the platform gives our children with every autoplay, with every like, with every push notification,” Sirois stated toKids The Associated Press.
Though the bill would not explicitly title which platforms can be affected, it targets any social media platform that tracks person exercise, permits customers to add materials and work together with others, and makes use of addictive options. Apps used solely for personal messaging between people wouldn’t be impacted.
GOP BILL BANS KIDS UNDER 16 FROM SOCIAL MEDIA TO SAVE THEM FROM DANGEROUS ‘EMOTIONAL DISTRESSES’
The Florida House handed a bill banning social media for children under 16 with a 106-13 bipartisan vote on Wednesday. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Republican House Speaker Paul Renner stated the bill ought to face up to constitutional scrutiny as a result of it focuses on the addictive options of social media, not the content material.
“It’s a situation where kids can’t stay off the platforms, and as a result of that, they have been trapped in an environment that harms their mental health,” stated Renner, who has made social media habit and its affect on children one among his prime priorities.
He continued on X, previously Twitter, Wednesday: “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.”
The bill would power social media corporations to close down accounts believed for use by minors and to cancel minors’ accounts at their request or their dad and mom. All data associated to the account should even be deleted.
SENATORS LOOK TO BAN KIDS UNDER 13 FROM SOCIAL MEDIA IN BIPARTISAN BILL
Democratic Rep. Michele Rayner shared on the House flooring a few of the feedback she obtained on X after referencing her deceased mom whereas saying assist for the bill, which included “your mother sucks” and “your mom was stupid.”
“I’m 42-years old … and comments like these were a gut punch to me, but I was able to navigate,” she stated. “Imagine what our babies have to deal with when they have their friends in school doing the same cyberbullying to them.”
Opponents of the bill stated it violates the First Amendment, takes away the advantages some children might get from social media, and stated dad and mom ought to decide if their children may be on social media.
Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani stated she discovered consolation and assist on social media when she was 13 after her mom died.
“I think the intention of those who have filed (the bill) is absolutely golden. We have a concern about the impact of social media on our young people,” Eskamani stated. “I just find the solution that you propose too broad and casts a wide net with unintended consequences.”
Opponents of House Bill 1 argue that it not solely violates the First Amendment, however takes away advantages children might obtain from being on social media, reminiscent of the power to “gather information and learn about new opportunities.” (iStock)
Meta, which owns a handful of social media platforms, requested the House to contemplate requiring parental approval as an alternative of banning the apps for children under 16. It additionally would really like the difficulty to be addressed on the federal stage to keep away from a wide range of state legal guidelines on the subject.
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“Many teens today leverage the internet and apps to responsibly gather information and learn about new opportunities, including part-time jobs, higher education, civic or church gatherings, and military service,” Meta consultant Caulder Harvill-Childs wrote to the House Judiciary Committee. “By banning teens under 16, Florida risks putting its young people at a disadvantage versus teens elsewhere.”
The bill now strikes to the Senate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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