Social Media

Last year, the Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis created a law banning minors under 16 from social media platforms, except for 14- and 15-year-olds with parental permission. Now, lawmakers want to allow parents to view messages and are targeting apps like Snapchat.

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker rejected a request by a consortium of technology companies for a preliminary injunction that would have at least further temporarily blocked the state’s ban from taking effect.

Groups representing communications companies are arguing the 2024 measure unconstitutionally limits free speech. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker says he may make a decision within three weeks.

A federal judge in Tallahassee is considering whether to block a new Florida law that bans social media for young teenagers.

Meta has announced changes to its content policies, allowing users to call LGBTQ+ people "mentally ill" or "abnormal" without violating platform rules. This move has been criticized by medical experts.

Legal challenges will decide the fate of the state's new ban on social media for kids under 14. Plus, more on how Broward County's cellphone ban during the school day is going.

This week on The Florida Roundup, we spoke with officials about Florida's new social media law that bans children 14 and under from accessing some platforms. And we have a conversation about media literacy and fact checking.

They include children's access to social media and lawsuits filed by college students who say they should receive refunds for money they paid while campuses were shut down due to COVID-19.

The law restricts some minors from owning social media accounts. The state won’t legally enforce it until February as the law is currently being challenged in court by two separate lawsuits.

The Oxford University Press has chosen its word of the year, one word that's been popularized on social media.

Among them is one that would restrict access to social media for children, but a federal lawsuit means it will not be immediately enforced.

WFSU News spoke with a mental health expert about the pros and cons of social media and what life could look like without the apps.