Gov. Ron DeSantis has declined to sign into law a measure that would have forbidden minors younger than 16 years of age from owning accounts on popular social media platforms, regardless of whether their parents approved of them or not.
Filed into the Florida House of Representatives in January, HB 1, the Online Protections for Minors, would have required “certain social media platforms to prohibit certain minors from creating new accounts and to verify the age of account holders.”
The proposed measure also required that social media platforms specify the methods they would use to verify the age of account holders, to terminate certain accounts and to provide options for termination of such accounts.
The proposed measure became controversial when detractors, including Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill), opposed it on grounds that it violated the First Amendment, would never withstand a constitutional challenge in the courts and stripped parents of the right to choose whether their children held social media accounts or not.
Even so, the Florida House passed HB 1 by a vote of 106 to 13. The State Senate passed the measure on Feb. 22 by a vote of 23 to 14, and the bill was sent to DeSantis on Feb. 23.
DeSantis vetoed it on March 1 on the grounds that another social media-related bill was forthcoming.
“I have vetoed HB 1 because the Legislature is about to produce a different, superior bill,” said DeSantis in a March 1 posting on X.
That same day, lawmakers passed an amended version of the bill that would allow 14- and 15-year-olds on social media with parental consent and prevent social media access for younger children.
DeSantis said in the same posting that he remained committed to shielding children from online harm while backing parental rights.
“Protecting children from harms associated with social media is important, as is supporting parents’ rights and maintaining the ability of adults to engage in anonymous speech,” DeSantis stated. “I anticipate the new bill will recognize these priorities and will be signed into law soon.”
Ingoglia praised the DeSantis veto.
“Although the dangers of social media use by children are real and substantial, in my opinion, Gov. DeSantis was right to veto HB1,” Ingoglia said. “It (HB 1) violated the First Amendment and it also took away parental rights, which I have always stood up vehemently for.”
The amended legislation is pending.
