Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs law restricting children's access to social networks

(CNN) –– Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed a bill Monday that would ban children under 14 from having their own social media accounts, according to a press release from his office.

14 and 15-year-olds can have an account with their parents' consent.

In addition to restricting social media accounts for minors, the law also imposes restrictions on pornographic websites.

The bill, known as HB3, would require age verification for visitors to sexually explicit websites. The move will come into effect from January 1, 2025.

With HB3, Florida is the latest in a series of states to pass laws restricting young Americans' access to social media. Like challenges already raised in other parts of the country, the law is likely to face challenges in court.

States like Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Ohio and Utah have promoted similar bills to regulate technology platforms. In February, a federal judge temporarily blocked Ohio's law over its scope and potential violation of teenagers' First Amendment rights to access information online. Also, another federal judge last year temporarily blocked the Arkansas law.

DeSantis vetoed an earlier version of the Florida law.

See also  Siwas built in Toluka

Eden Hayes

"Wannabe gamer. Subtly charming beer buff. General pop culture trailblazer. Incurable thinker. Certified analyst."

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top