A Florida House bill banning social media users under the age of 16, has cleared the Senate floor and is inching closer to becoming a new state law.
The bipartisan measure (HB1) was approved by the full Senate Thursday by a vote of 23-14.
“I think this bill goes a very long way to be as narrowly tailored as possible to make it through.” Senate sponsor Erin Grall, R-Fort Pierce, said before the Senate vote.
Florida Senators have been making tweaks to HB 1 that, if passed, would prohibit minors in Florida from accessing apps like Tik Tok, or Instagram. It’s a priority of Florida House Speaker Paul Renner who says he wants to protect kids from the harmful impacts of social media.
Grall amended HB 1 last week to address concerns that it might violate the privacy of adult users or that it might be too broad. She said focusing on apps’ addictive features and ensuring tech companies can properly verify users' ages; will help keep the measure from being blocked by the federal government.
“We can't just point the finger and say, Congress you're not doing your job so we shouldn't do anything." said Grall. "The states across this country are all standing up and we have all taken different tactics to get the courts to address this.”
Before the bill’s passage, Stand with Parkland, a group created for the victims of the 2018 Parkland massacre, issued a statement saying they will endorse Florida’s social media ban. The group’s president says he believes it’ll keep kids safe online.
Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, followed the endorsement up, by joining the mostly Republicans who voted for the bill.
“I just know that I want to be a part of that movement that votes to do something," said Rouson. "The addiction issues exist amongst our children.”
If HB 1 becomes a law, children's social media accounts will be terminated within 90 days. The bill is now heading back to the House, where lawmakers will have a chance to consider the Senate’s changes.