https://www.reuters.com/world/us/floridas-desantis-signs-law-restricting-social-media-people-under-16-2024-03-25 Skip to main content Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals Learn more aboutRefinitiv Reuters home * World Browse World + Africa + Americas + Asia Pacific + China + Europe + India + Israel and Hamas at War + Japan + Middle East + United Kingdom + Ukraine and Russia at War + United States + US Elections + Reuters Next * Business Browse Business + Aerospace & Defense + Autos & Transportation + Davos + Energy + Environment + Finance + Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals + Media & Telecom + Retail & Consumer + Future of Health + Future of Money + Take Five + World at Work * Markets Browse Markets + Asian Markets + Carbon Markets + Commodities + Currencies + Deals + Emerging Markets + ETFs + European Markets + Funds + Global Market Data + Rates & Bonds + Stocks + U.S. Markets + Wealth + Macro Matters * Sustainability Browse Sustainability + Boards, Policy & Regulation + Climate & Energy + Land Use & Biodiversity + Society & Equity + Sustainable Finance & Reporting + The Switch + Reuters Impact * Legal Browse Legal + Government + Legal Industry + Litigation + Transactional + US Supreme Court * Breakingviews Browse Breakingviews + Breakingviews Predictions * Technology Browse Technology + Cybersecurity + Space + Disrupted + Reuters Momentum * Investigations * More Sports + Athletics + Baseball + Basketball + Cricket + Cycling + Formula 1 + Golf + NFL + NHL + Soccer + Tennis ScienceLifestyleGraphics PicturesPodcastsFact CheckVideoSponsored Content + Reuters Plus + Coupons My View Register * Society & Equity * Technology * Human Rights * Data Privacy * Public Health Florida's DeSantis signs law restricting social media for people under 16 By Reuters March 26, 20242:07 AM UTCUpdated ago * * * * * * * * Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visits Myrtle Beach Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign visit ahead of the South Carolina presidential primary in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S. January 20, 2024. REUTERS/Randall Hill/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab * Companies * Meta Platforms Inc Follow March 25(Reuters) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that bans children aged under 14 from social media platforms and requires 14- and 15-year-olds to get parental consent, a measure supporters say will protect them from online risks to their mental health. The measure requires social media platforms to terminate the accounts of people under 14 and those of people under 16 who do not have parental consent. It requires them to use a third-party verification system to screen out those who are underage. The state's Republican-led legislature passed a bill in February that would have banned children under 16 from social media entirely. DeSantis, a Republican, vetoed that bill earlier this month, saying it limited parents' rights. The amended version allows for parents to provide consent for older children to engage on social media platforms. It will become law on Jan. 1, 2025. "Social media harms children in a variety of ways," DeSantis said in a statement. He said the legislation "gives parents a greater ability to protect their children." Supporters have said the legislation will stem the harmful effects of social media on the well-being of children who use such platforms excessively and may experience anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses as a result. Critics have said the bill violates the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections for free speech and that parents, not the government, should make decisions about the online presence of their children of all ages. Meta (META.O), opens new tab, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, opposed the legislation, saying it would limit parental discretion and raise data privacy concerns because of the personal information users would have to provide to be age-verified. Meta has said it supports federal legislation, opens new tab for online app stores to secure parental approval for downloads by children. The bill does not name any specific social media platforms, but states that its targets are social media sites that promote "infinite scrolling," display reaction metrics such as likes, feature auto-play videos and have live-streaming and push notifications. It would exempt websites and apps whose main function is email, messaging or texting between a particular sender and recipient. The measure requires social media companies to permanently delete personal information collected from terminated accounts and let parents bring civil lawsuits against those failing to do so. In March 2023 Utah became the first U.S. state to adopt laws regulating children's access to social media, followed by others including Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio and Texas, according to a legislative analysis prepared for the Florida bill. The analysis said numerous other states were contemplating similar regulations. (This story has been corrected to say that the law will take effect in January 2025, not July 2024, in paragraph 4) Get weekly news and analysis on the U.S. elections and how it matters to the world with the newsletter On the Campaign Trail. Sign up here. Reporting by Gabriella Borter in Washington; Editing by Frank McGurty and Nia Williams Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab * * * * * Purchase Licensing Rights Read Next * Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Francois-Philippe Champagne speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa MarketscategoryCanada to tighten foreign investment rules in AI, space technology sectors, Bloomberg reports4:49 PM UTC * People queue to use WorldCoin's iris-scanners in Madrid Boards, Policy & RegulationcategoryPortugal orders Sam Altman's Worldcoin to halt data collection8:51 PM UTC * Man types on a computer keyboard in front of the displayed cyber code in this illustration picture TechnologycategoryAPT31: the Chinese hacking group behind global cyberespionage campaign9:03 AM UTC * Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian gestures during a press conference in Beijing TechnologycategoryChina calls hacking allegations by US, UK 'political manoeuvring'8:57 AM UTC LSEG Workspace World * Kenyan authorities begin handing over bodies of cult massacre victims in Kilifi Kenyan families weep for starvation cult victims as first bodies released Africacategory * March 26, 2024 * 10:41 PM UTC * ago Bereaved relatives emerged weeping from a hospital mortuary in Kenya on Tuesday after recovering the remains of loved ones whose doomsday cult leader induced them to starve themselves, according to the authorities. * Social Democratic Party (PSD) and Democratic Alliance (AD) leader Luis Montenegro talks to the media after meeting with President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in Belem Palace EuropecategoryPortugal's rightist AD and populist Chega clash after election, signalling instability10:34 PM UTC * Updated ago * Middle EastcategoryUS denies reports it carried out dawn strikes in Syria The U.S. on Tuesday denied that it had carried out dawn air strikes in Syria after Syrian and Iranian state media said U.S. forces had bombed an eastern region and killed at least seven soldiers, including a member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. ago * Asia PacificcategoryNorth Korean delegation visits Vietnam, KCNA says A senior North Korean official leading a delegation met with his Vietnamese counterpart on Monday and discussed ways to elevate bilateral relations, North Korean state media KCNA said on Wednesday. ago * The Wider Image: Earthprints: Rio Pardo SustainabilitycategoryBrazil, France launch $1.1 bln investment program focused on Amazon rainforest10:11 PM UTC * Updated ago Site Index Browse * World * Business * Markets * Sustainability * Legal * Breakingviews * Technology * Investigations, opens new tab * Sports * Science * Lifestyle About Reuters * About Reuters, opens new tab * Careers, opens new tab * Reuters News Agency, opens new tab * Brand Attribution Guidelines, opens new tab * Reuters Leadership, opens new tab * Reuters Fact Check, opens new tab * Reuters Diversity Report, opens new tab Stay Informed * Download the App (iOS), opens new tab * Download the App (Android), opens new tab * Newsletters, opens new tab Information you can trust Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world's largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. 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