The measure would force social media platforms to remove any accounts that minors under the age of 16 currently possess and forbid them from opening new ones.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — A bill that forbids children under 16 from having social media accounts is about to be passed by Florida lawmakers. This week, House Bill 1, also known as the “Social Media Use for Minors” Act, will be put to a vote in the Florida Senate.
If passed into law, it would be illegal for anybody under 16 to open a new social media account, and mandate that social media companies remove any accounts that kids under 16 have already opened.
10- To find out what local families thought of this measure, Tampa Bay went straight to them. Two mothers who utilize social media in their households in very different ways were the subjects of our conversation. Social media use is strictly prohibited for the two brothers, aged 9 and 11, living in the Singh household.
“When our children were very small, we had a very strict like, ‘we’re not going to let them just be grown up with a device in their hands at all time,'” Carrie Singh explained. “Our children have searched for solutions to math problems on YouTube. However, that is the only usage of our YouTube channel.”
Singh claimed she has relatives in the education field who have told her that social media is the main cause of most problems in schools. “Every single fight, every single conflict, every single thing that’s a disciplinary issue, all comes back to social media stuff,” she continued.
Singh maintains her stance as a “no social media house” despite her 11-year-old son’s expression of interest in social media. “Becoming a parent is challenging. It’s not at all simple. Furthermore, I believe that some things are just flat-out no. The security and well-being of my children are also of utmost importance,” Singh continued.
She believes that HB 1, the “Social Media Use for Minors” Act, would provide parents with more clout when having difficult talks with their children. “That’s just the law, it makes it easy for a parent to say. the same as with protective gear. Like, you know, that’s the law. It is required that you wear a helmet.” According to Singh.
On the other hand, social media is a daily occurrence in some Tampa Bay households. Content developer Lindsay Satmary is the owner of the lifestyle blog @paperclipsandconfetti. I started creating material in or around 2016. Additionally, my children have essentially grown up in my material,” Satmary remarked.
In addition, Satmary’s 11-year-old son has developed a fascination for social networking. She said, “He’s very creative.” He is creating playable video games with his friends. In addition to producing his songs, all he wants to do is spread his artistic talents throughout the world and encourage young people to pursue their dreams.”
According to Satmary, she manages her son’s accounts and keeps an eye on the information he shares and is exposed to. “People are afraid to let their kids use social media, but there are safe features on there,” said Satmary, a parent education participant at a Meta clinic.
Satmary believes that parental rights are overstepped by HB1. “I believe that denying parents the ability to make decisions for their children is a grave error. Satmary stated, “I think a lot of us know our kids pretty well and know when they’re emotionally and mature enough to handle social media and how to do it safely.”
Furthermore, she contended that it might regress children in the contemporary era where individuals pursue online careers. “To have them wait until 16, I feel like they’re missing the boat,” she explained. “Kids are out here creating and they deserve to be seen as well.”
Legislators from both parties are debating this same bill in Tallahassee. While some legislators contend that this is a necessary step to protect Florida’s children, others voice concerns about going too far in exercising parental rights and spending government resources on what they believe will be an unavoidable judicial battle over the decision.
Governor DeSantis, who stated that it is “to be determined” if he would sign the bill if it passes the Senate, is one of the people who has reservations. This coming Wednesday, February 21, in Tallahassee is when this discussion will next take place.
