© 2024 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Get the latest coverage of the 2024 Florida legislative session in Tallahassee from our coverage partners and WUSF.

2024 Florida Legislative session preview: Social media

 Teenager scrolls through Twitter, a popular social media platform. Anna Jones/ WFSU Public Media
Anna Jones
/
WFSU Public Media
Teenager scrolls through Twitter, a popular social media platform. Anna Jones/ WFSU Public Media

Lawmakers push for greater restrictions on social media access and minors.

Florida House Speaker Paul Renner (R-Flagler) took the stage at the Capital City’s Tiger Bay Club before Christmas, to speak on what legislation he would like to see go through the legislature—and social media was at the forefront.

“We gotta think about kids," said Renner. "We tell them they can’t drink until they’re 18, they can’t smoke until they’re 18, they can’t get tattoos or earrings without their parents’ consent, all of these things.”

FILE - Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, opens a Special Session, on Dec. 12, 2022, at the state Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. Renner announced Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023, that one of his priorities during the legislative session that begins in March will be to expand a school voucher program for special needs students. (AP Photo/Phil Sears, File)
Phil Sears/AP
/
FR170567 AP
FILE - Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, opens a Special Session, on Dec. 12, 2022, at the state Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. Renner announced Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023, that one of his priorities during the legislative session that begins in March will be to expand a school voucher program for special needs students. (AP Photo/Phil Sears, File)

Renner said the idea of children having access to the same social platforms, and content, as adults doesn’t sit right with him.

“We need to let kids be kids. We need to let them grow in a place that's safe and where they're well educated and protected from all the people out there that have other ideas for them or want to shape them in a way that’s not age appropriate."

Measures to correct the issue have been filed by lawmakers of both parties

A bill (HB 207) filed by Democratic Representative Michele Raynerof Hillsborough and Pinellas County would require platforms to disclose policies and provide disclaimers to users under the age of 18 about certain features like auto play or infinite scrolling.

The measure would also ban most schools in Florida from using or having social media accounts and no longer require students to participate in them. It’s the second year Rayner has filed the bill.

Students learning on mobile tablets., Thursday Oct. 4, 2012, in New York.  (Photo by Scott Gries/Invision for UMIGO/AP Images)
Scott Gries/Scott Gries/Invision/AP
/
Invision
Students learning on mobile tablets., Thursday Oct. 4, 2012, in New York. (Photo by Scott Gries/Invision for UMIGO/AP Images)

“It provides guidelines, it provides accountability, and it ensures that the children of the state of Florida will be protected," said Rayner. "Social media companies that operate within this state, will meet the guidelines to know that our children are being safe on social media.”

Representative Tyler Sirois (R-Brevard) has supported efforts to crack down on minors and social media in the past. Last year, he derided what he saw as social media platforms becoming tools for “social isolation.”

“You see an increased rate of bullying," Sirois said during a House committee meeting. "You see an increased rate of suicide. We’ve had whistleblowers report to Congress about what these platforms are doing to the body image, particularly of young girls as it relates to their self-esteem.”

The House Speaker’s push for immediate action against social media comes off the heels of a hefty social media ban by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

The governor banned K-12 students from using apps like TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter in schools. The effort also comes amid heightened scrutiny of the impact of social media on children.

Copyright 2024 WFSU. To see more, visit WFSU.

Adrian Andrews
You Count on Us, We Count on You: Donate to WUSF to support free, accessible journalism for yourself and the community.