Florida Gov Ron DeSantis signs controversial bill to ban social media for children under 14

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• Florida's new social media ban for minors, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, could be one of the strictest in the country.
• The law prohibits social media accounts for children under 14 and mandates parental consent for 15- and 16-year-olds.
• The new law is expected to take effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

Florida will have one of the country's most restrictive social media bans for minors — if it withstands expected legal challenges — under a bill signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday.

The bill will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 15- and 16-year-olds. It was slightly watered down from a proposal DeSantis vetoed earlier this month, a week before the annual legislative session ended.

The new law was Republican Speaker Paul Renner’s top legislative priority. It takes effect Jan. 1.

FLORIDA SENATE PASSES BILL TO BAN SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN UNDER 16

The bill DeSantis vetoed would have banned minors under 16 from popular social media platforms regardless of parental consent. But before the veto, he worked out compromise language with Renner to alleviate the governor's concerns and the Legislature sent DeSantis a second bill.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting on Nov. 19, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Florida will have one of the country's most restrictive social media bans for minors under a bill signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Several states have considered similar legislation. In Arkansas, a federal judge blocked enforcement of a law in August that required parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts.

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Supporters in Florida hope the bill will withstand legal challenges because it would ban social media formats based on addictive features such as notification alerts and auto-play videos, rather than on their content.