Florida’s laws for kids and social media
In Florida, there have been no cell phones allowed during instructional time this school year. The ban was put in place to adhere to the passage of a bill signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in May 2023.
And a new law that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, requires social media platforms to ban Floridians younger than 14. Social media companies are supposed to cancel accounts that already exist for kids under 14.
We spoke with the Superintendent of one of the largest school districts in the state about how students and teachers are adapting to cell phone restrictions. Then, we heard from one of the co-sponsors of the bill banning minors from social media platforms.
Guests:
- Howard Hepburn, Superintendent of Broward County Public Schools.
- Rep. Toby Overdorf, member of the Florida House of Representatives (R-Stuart).
Fact-checking and media literacy
As Florida passes laws aimed at protecting kids online, one of the original social media sites is changing how it moderates what you post and see. This week, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Threads announced that it will do-away with its formal fact-checking. Facebook’s fact-checking efforts were a response to Russia’s use of the platform and others to spread misinformation during the 2016 Election.
Guest:
- Alex Mahadevan, director of MediaWise at the Poynter Institute.
Weekly news briefing
This week, we’ve seen the coldest weather throughout the state in about two years. We checked in with Meteorologist Megan Borowski with our partner the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network for more on the forecast.
Florida has the third largest number of immigrants without legal status. It’s almost 1 million people according to data from the nonpartisan Center for Migration Studies of New York. As the new year approaches, Floridians without legal status and their families are trying to do what they can to prepare. Central Florida Public Media Joe Byrnes shares their stories.
The new year began with a new law that bans sleeping outside in most places. It’s an effort to crack down on encampments of people who are homeless. And the law allows residents to sue their local governments if they’re not enforcing the ban.
President Joe Biden this week made a temporary ban of drilling along Florida’s gulf coast permanent. Despite incoming President Donald Trump’s promise to overturn the executive order, WUSF’s Steve Newborn tells us why it might not be so swift.
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