DeSantis Clashes With Lawmakers, Says Parents Have Rights Over Teens on Social Media

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) isn’t ready to ban children younger than 16 from using social media without an opportunity for parental override, he said Thursday. This puts him at odds with many of his state's Republican lawmakers. Earlier in the day, Florida's Senate voted 23-14 to approve HB-1, which would require that websites verify potential users' ages, preventing kids younger than 16 from using social media and stop those younger than 18 from accessing pornography. Many, but not all, Democratic state senators opposed the bill. Later on the floor, senators joined House members in unanimously supporting another measure extending a $1 promotion for broadband attachments through 2028.

Florida's House last month passed HB-1 in a 106-13 bipartisan vote (see 2401240079). It will need to vote again to concur with the Senate’s changes to the bill. The measure would then need DeSantis' approval. But in a news conference streamed Thursday, the governor said he doesn’t think the bill is "there yet,” though negotiations with legislators continue.

DeSantis knows the legislation is important to House Speaker Paul Renner (R) but said, "I also think there are legitimate issues that [have] got to be worked out.” DeSantis said he supports enforcing the existing federal law that prohibits children 13 and younger from having social media accounts. In addition, the governor said he agrees that some networks with addictive features are “net” harmful to 14- and 15-year-olds. “But I also believe that parents need to have a role in this … You can say it’s disfavored or not allowed … but a parent has the right to opt in.” Parents can “supervise a kid to use it more sparingly” and “we can’t say 100% of the uses are bad.”

Earlier on the Senate floor, several Democrats condemned HB-1 as governmental overreach, saying it violates parental rights and has constitutional problems. Some agreed social networks harm children. “What I have not heard is that it is so harmful that parents cannot control this,” said Sen. Jason Pizzo. The Democrat predicted that even Republican-appointed judges would overturn this law if it is enacted.

Sen. Tina Polksky (D) might have supported the bill if the Senate hadn’t on Wednesday rejected her proposed amendment allowing children to use social media for professional development (see 2402210055), she said. Sen. Lauren Book (D) condemned HB-1 as “digital abstinence.”

A few Democrats supported the bill. Sen. Rosalind Osgood (D), a former school board member, said she wants to protect youngsters from cyberbullying, online predators and other harms. Sen. Darryl Rouson (D) agreed, saying that kids’ mental health is at stake. "No one wants government overreach ... but we must do something."

“Children are being influenced so significantly by these addictive features,” said Sen. Erin Grall (R), carrying the House bill in the Senate. The opposed Democrats say they’re concerned with parental rights only when it’s “convenient,” Grall argued, noting that they didn’t back previous Florida legislative efforts on the subject.

The Senate later voted 36-0 for a pole-attachments bill that would let internet service providers continue paying $1 a year per wireline attachment per pole to bring broadband to unserved or underserved areas in municipal electric utility service territories. Florida began offering the rate in 2021; it will expire July 1 unless extended. The Senate voted on the House-passed HB-1147, which also received unanimous support (see 2402160026). The bill next needs DeSantis’ signature.

In the House, the Commerce Committee advanced two other social media bills Thursday. The panel voted unanimously for HB-207 by Rep. Michele Rayner-Goolsby (D). Her bill would require social media platforms to disclose policies on topics including content moderation, addictive design, manipulated images, data collection and protection against cyberbullying and other harmful behaviors. Moreover, it would require that children read and accept a disclaimer about social media's possible harms when they log in.

Also winning unanimous committee support, HB-1541 by Rep. Randy Fine (R) would require platforms that foreign adversaries own to disclose how they curate, personalize and target content and how they address misinformation and harmful content. It would also require that such platforms implement user verification for buyers of ads on social or political issues. A Senate version (SB-1448) cleared an appropriations committee Wednesday.