Gov. DeSantis signs bill restricting children on social media

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida is set to tighten restrictions on minors using social media under a bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday

The bill will prohibit children under 14 from having social media accounts and will require parental permission for 14- and 15- year-olds. This comes after DeSantis vetoed a similar bill under the same name earlier this month.

At the conference DeSantis spoke of the risks social media poses on children, particularly the threat of human traffickers who use these platforms as a tool to find victims.

The governor signed HB 3, or the Online Protections for Minors bill, while backed by various local and state leaders at a conference in Jacksonville.

Among the attendees was Florida Speaker of the House, Paul Renner, (R-District 19), who has made the bill one of his top legislative priorities.

"None of us can be on the sidelines when it comes to social media -- when it comes to the hard-core pornography our children are being exposed to," Renner said.

The house speaker enumerated some of the dangers of social media, such as its impact on their mental health.

"What we have addressed are the addictive features that are at the heart of why children stay on these platforms for hours and hours on end," Renner said of the bill.

Renner also rebuked the argument that the bill might infringe on First Amendment rights. He said the bill doesn't wouldn't violate freedom of speech rights because it doesn't focus on the content of speech, but on the "addictive technology."

Another speaker was Florida Senator Erin Grall (R-District), who urged the audience to consider social media's impact on parents and their responsibilities.

"They have made our parenting difficult by addicting our children," Grall said of social media companies.

The new Online Protections for Minors bill will go into effect on Jan. 1.