Florida bill banning social media for minors passes Senate, awaits DeSantis' approval

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A Florida bill that would ban social media for minors under the age of 16 passed in the Florida Senate and now just awaits approval by Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

READ: Bill banning social media for Florida minors moves forward

HB-1 cleared the Senate on Thursday with a 23-14 vote after contentious debate.  Multiple senators made the point that while social media can be dangerous, it is the job of the parents to look after their children's usage of these platforms. 

"I agree that social media has become a harm to not just children but also to adults," Senator Shervin Jones (D-Miami Gardens) said. "But it is not the legislation's job to parent the parents how to parent."

READ: Social media bill that restricts access for kids expected to pass in Florida House

Others argue that while there are clear dangers to social media, there are also good features to it. 

"Parenting is very difficult, but that doesn't mean the government needs to step in," Sen. Tina Polsky (D-Boca Raton) said. "There are good features to social media."

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"This may not be a perfect bill, but it's the beginning of a conversation where we say we're going to find a way to protect the most vulnerable people in our society," Senator Doug Broxson (R-Gulf Breeze) said.

Sen. Erin Grall (R-Fort Pierce) denied the parental rights argument, saying those who used that argument haven't cared about that issue in the past. 

She brought up the issue of cyberbullying, saying these social media platforms that children flock to are responsible for the harm they cause those children.

"They know what they're doing to manipulate our children," Sen. Grall said. "They know the cyberbullying happens. They know the cyberbullying results in, ‘You should kill yourself now. Why don’t you kill yourself now?' They know it has resulted in the harm or death of children."

The bill doesn't list specific social media platforms. However, it targets outlets that track user activity, allow children to upload content, and have ‘addictive’ design features.

Platforms that violate the law could face fines between $50,000 and $100,000 per violation.

Governor Ron DeSantis recently questioned the constitutionality of the bill as it reads and warned that it could create legal issues.