Enforcement of Florida’s social media ban for some minors delayed

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s prohibition on children under the age of 14 from having social media accounts will not be enforced as early as planned.

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Starting January 1st, Florida was supposed to begin levying fines of $50,000 per violation on social media companies if they failed to remove users under the age of 14.

The law also prohibits 14 and 15-year-olds from accessing social media platforms without parental consent.

However, a new court filing shows the state’s Attorney General agreed to delay enforcement until a federal judge makes a decision on whether the law should be blocked while the case against it moves through the courts.

That means enforcement won’t begin until at least late February.

“You know we’ve seen suicide rates and rates of depression rise among our children and this bill is designed to help protect our kids,” said State Representative Dean Black (R-Yulee).

Black cosponsored the social media ban for minors during this year’s legislative session.

He noted Florida was one of the first states to wade into this evolving legal space, and the delay is an acknowledgment that state leaders want to get the policy right.

“We know that it can sometimes take a while to get it perfected and so it seems that they’re being responsible waiting to get the opinion of the court,” said Black.

The lawsuit filed by industry groups representing companies like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, argues the blanket ban based on age violates the First Amendment rights of impacted users.

It also lays out various ways the industry has attempted to self-regulate and better protect children.

Black told Action News Jax he hopes the law is ultimately allowed to take effect, arguing the industry’s self-policing has been a failure.

“I don’t agree that you have a constitutional right to come up with logarithms that purposely draw in children whose judgment hasn’t developed yet and addict them to social media,” said Black.

Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office just recently signed onto a multi-state coalition calling for national legislation to protect children online as well.

That bill would implement mandatory default safety settings, addiction prevention features, and more parental controls on social media sites.

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