The Florida House of Representatives approved on Wednesday a bill aimed at barring children aged 16 and younger from social media platforms, following similar action in several states to limit online risks to young teenagers.
„We must address the harmful effects social media platforms have on the development and well-being of our kids,” said Florida House Speaker Paul Renner.
„Florida has a compelling state interest and duty to protect our children, their mental health, and their childhood.”
The bill would also require firms to permanently delete personal information collected from the terminated accounts and let parents bring civil suits against those failing to do so.
The Florida measure does not identify any internet companies by name.
Instead it defines a social media platform as an online forum that tracks account holders’ activity by letting them create user profiles, then upload content or view the content or activities of other users and interact with, or track, them.
Among the defining social media functions highlighted by the bill are „addictive, harmful or deceptive design features” or those that induce „an excessive or compulsive need to use or engage with” the platform.
Utah became the first U.S. state to adopt laws regulating children’s access to social media in March 2023, followed by others, such as Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio and Texas, according to a legislative analysis prepared for the Florida bill.
It said numerous other states were also contemplating similar regulations.
In 2015 the European Union in 2015 passed a law requiring parental consent for a child to access social media, the analysis added.
Read the full article on ”reuters.com”
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