Florida lawmakers have introduced a bill aimed at restricting social media access for those under the age of 16.
The bill proposes a ban on social media accounts — including Facebook, Instagram and X — for minors under 16, placing the responsibility on social media companies to enforce this restriction by implementing age-verification methods. The legislation prevents users under 16 from both creating a new account and terminate existing underage accounts.
This move is intended to safeguard the mental and emotional well-being of minors, which has been proven to be negatively affected by social media.
Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, who introduced the bill, shared he wants to “regulate social media in a meaningful way because our kids’ lives depend on it,” and would even expland the regulations to include adult content sites.
“We’ve got to think about kids,” Renner said. “We tell them they … can’t smoke until they’re 18, they can’t get tattoos or earrings without their parents’ consent, all of these things. But an 8-year-old kid can get online and see pornography. … That doesn’t make sense. How do we let happen?”
