Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that prevents minors under the age of 14 from having social media accounts on March 25, 2024.
In a general bill from the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House, House Bill 3 (dubbed Online Protections for Minors) aims to enact regulations on the ability of minors, aged 14 and 15, to become ‘account holders.’ However, this bill is not to eliminate these ages from social media platforms completely but to further encourage parent intervention, which has been a common theme in recent Florida legislation.
This bill requires all accounts for minors younger than 14, or without parental consent for 14 or 15-year-olds, to be removed from the social media platforms. Upon determination of the true age of the profile, all personal data is to be permanently removed, according to the bill.
Platforms that do not comply with HB3 may be subject to civil penalties of up to $50,000 per violation or up to $10,000 in civil damages resulting from suits taken by the minor account holder.
According to HB3, social media platforms are defined as follows:
- Allow users to upload content or view the content or activity of other users.
- Satisfy certain daily active user metrics identified in the bill.
- Employ algorithms that analyze user data or information on users to select content for users.
- Have certain addictive features.
HB3 goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.
