DeSantis vetoes Florida bill banning social media accounts for kids under 16

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Friday vetoed a bill in the Sunshine State that would ban children under 16 from having social media accounts.

DeSantis has previously expressed concerns about the bill, and said in a statement that the Florida Legislature is “on the verge of introducing another good bill.”

“Protecting children from harm associated with social media is just as important as supporting parents’ rights and preserving adults’ ability to speak anonymously,” he said. “The new bill recognizes these priorities and we expect it to be signed into law soon.”

The former Republican presidential candidate, who withdrew from the Republican primary in late January, stressed last week that Florida officials are trying to strike the “right balance” between regulation and parental input on the issue.

“I’ve always said that I think social media is bad for children,” DeSantis said, adding, “Parents can, in a sense, supervise how social media is used in ways that are beneficial.” I think so,” he added.

“When you think about these things, I think you have to strike the right balance between policies that help parents get to where they want to go and policies that just completely crush them,” he explained. did.

Under the revised law announced on Friday, 14- and 15-year-olds will be allowed to have social media accounts with their parents’ approval. politiko report.

Florida House Speaker Paul Renner (Republican) promoted the latest bill It aims to give parents “control over what their children can access online” while protecting them from “the harm caused by addictive social media platforms”.

“This introduces important parental controls and imposes stronger penalties on social media companies that continue to ignore the welfare of children,” Renner said in a statement to X (formerly known as Twitter). stated in a threatening letter.

“This bill would give the Attorney General and Florida parents the tools they need to hold them accountable,” he wrote.