DeSantis receives the Florida Legislature's bill to ban kids from social media

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday formally received a bill aimed at keeping children off social media and will have until March 1 to decide whether to sign it.

The House and Senate on Thursday passed the bill (HB 1), a priority of House Speaker Paul Renner, a Palm Coast Republican who argues social media harms children’s mental health and can be used by sexual predators. The bill would prevent children under 16 from creating accounts on at least some social-media platforms; require platforms to terminate existing accounts that they know or have “reason to believe” are held by minors younger than 16; and allow parents to request that minors’ accounts be terminated.

DeSantis has expressed concerns about the bill, pointing Thursday to issues of parental rights. During an appearance Friday in Pensacola, DeSantis said he would look at changes that lawmakers made to the bill this week as he decides whether to sign it.

“So, we'll be processing that today and probably through the weekend and let you guys know, very, very quickly,” he told reporters.

Opponents have argued parents should be able to decide whether children use social media and that the bill is unconstitutional — arguments that bill supporters have disputed.

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