Republicans have advanced legislation in Florida and Iowa aimed at protecting children and giving parents more power over social media use.
Florida’s House Bill 3 and Hawkeye’s House File No. 2523 both address whether large corporations can contract with children, collect data about them, and send them to prison. This appears to be a meaningful effort by lawmakers to ensure parents have a voice. To potentially harmful content.
major tech lobbyist and left-wing activist Families once again expressed their displeasure at such efforts to protect their children from harm. Well-documented online harm.
Iowa HF 2523
The Social Media Parental Verification Act passed the state House of Representatives on March 6 with bipartisan support by a vote of 88-6.
The bill would prevent social media companies from allowing minors to become account holders on their platforms without first obtaining explicit parental permission. Social media companies would also be required to allow “the parent or guardian who granted parental approval to revoke the granting of parental approval at any time upon request.”
Facebook, TikTok and other similar companies will be prohibited from collecting data from minors who have not created an account with parental consent.
Under the proposed law, social media companies would also be able to provide authorized parents with passwords or other means to access their children’s accounts, allowing them to view posts and private messages. You will be asked for it. Manage your time spent on the platform. Adjust your privacy settings.
State attorneys general would be given the power to file civil lawsuits against social media companies that violate the bill, and violators would be fined at least $10,000 for each violation.
des moines register
report A recent poll found that 55% of Iowans support the bill, 3% are unsure and 42% oppose it.
Support for the bill was even stronger among parents of minor children, with 57% of them voting in favor of HB 2523.
The Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll found support among 61% of Republicans, 39% of Democrats and 57% of independents.
“I think the intent of this bill is very good,” said state Rep. Sami Scheetz (D). “As someone who grew up in the age of social media, I know firsthand the negative impact it can have on the mental health of children in this state.”
HB 3 in Florida
HB3 This is the second attempt at online child protection legislation in the Sunshine State in recent weeks. On March 1, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) vetoed an earlier version of the online protection bill, saying, “Congress is about to introduce another good bill.”
desantis
I have written on X says, “Protecting children from harm associated with social media is just as important as supporting parental rights and preserving adults’ ability to speak anonymously. The new bill addresses these priorities. We recognize this and expect it to be signed soon.”
Previous versions required various social media platforms to prohibit anyone under the age of 16 from creating an account, but HB 3 passed the House on a 109-4 vote, requiring social media companies to allow anyone over the age of 14 to create an account. requires parental consent before allowing users to create accounts. Fifteen people rode the platform.
If approved by DeSantis, HB 3 would require social media platforms to:
- Minors under the age of 14 are prohibited from entering into agreements in which they are account holders.
- We will suspend accounts owned by anyone under the age of 14 and give you 90 days to contest the suspension.
- We allow users under the age of 14 to request termination of their accounts.
- We will permanently delete all information held by the Platform associated with such terminated account.and
- We will terminate the accounts of 14- and 15-year-old users who are unable to obtain parental consent.
As in Iowa, violations could result in significant penalties for social media companies.
HB 3 would also require commercial entities operating websites that contain “a significant portion of content harmful to minors” to use anonymous or standard age verification to verify that users are 18 years of age or older. It is mandatory to use it. Excludes news and reporting organizations, internet service providers, search engines, and cloud service providers.
florida voice news
report Critics of the bill, including Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon, have suggested it is unconstitutional and will inevitably be challenged in court.
ACLU of Florida
was suggested HB 3 would “ensure freedom of expression online by requiring all users, including adults, to verify their age by providing age verification documentation before using an existing social media account or creating a new one.” It is said to be equivalent to a “censorship bill aimed at suppressing people.”
“HB 3’s age verification requirements place a barrier between users, whether they are adults or minors, and their constitutional right to speak online,” said Carla Gross, ACLU of Florida Legislative Director. Stated.
NetChoice — Big Tech lobby group representing Facebook, TikTok, and X —
called DeSantis said in a March 7 letter that HB 3 “imposes sweeping restrictions on access to constitutionally protected speech for anyone under the age of 14 or who refuses to abide by the Constitution. vetoed the bill, arguing that it would violate the First Amendment rights of minors. Parental consent is required. ”
“We have to stop this experiment on our children,” said Republican state Rep. Tyler Sirois, who introduced the House version of the bill with Democratic Rep. Michelle Rayner. “We’re not opening Pandora’s box; we’re closing Pandora’s box.” One. ”
Republican Chairman Paul Renner emphasized that the bill will save lives.
report Associated Press.
“We know that social media is a major platform for sexual crimes against children,” Renner said. “We know that this is a place where they are bullied online and their self-image is torn apart online. It can lead to serious mental health issues, thoughts of suicide, self-harm, Leading to a surge in anorexia, and the list goes on and on and on.”
broader context
Other red states have recently passed similar laws with mixed success.
Utah passed
SB152 Last year, social media companies were required to obtain parental consent before allowing minors to maintain or open accounts. As of March 1, 2024, the state is is also required Age verification when opening a social media account. Setting a curfew on your child’s social media accounts. Minor accounts will be hidden from search results.
Arkansas similarly tried to protect children
SB396, was scheduled to be ratified by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) in April 2023 and take effect on September 1, 2023. However, a federal judge appointed by President Obama granted NetChoice filed a temporary injunction against the law in August.
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