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    DeSantis vetoes social media ban for kids under 16. Florida lawmakers offer new option

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1340 Views
    Florida's Republican House Speaker Paul Renner discusses Gov. Ron DeSantis' veto of a bill that would have banned kids under 16 from social media regardless of parental consent, in Tallahassee, Fla., Friday, March 1, 2024. A new proposal lowers that age to 14. He was joined by Democratic Rep. Michele Rayner, left, and Republican Rep. Tyler Sirois, right. (AP Photo/Brendan Farrington)

    By Brendan Farrington

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) --

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed what would have been one of the most far-reaching social media bans for minors on Friday, and lawmakers are proposing new language that seeks to keep children under under 14 off of addictive platforms.

    The bill sent to the governor last week would have banned minors under 16 from popular social media platforms regardless of parental consent. DeSantis had concerns about privacy issues and parental rights, but appears to be on board with a new proposal that would allow 14- and 15-year-olds on social media with parental consent and ban access for younger children.

    "The Legislature is about to produce a different, superior bill," DeSantis said in his veto message. "Protecting children from harms associated with social media is important, as is supporting parents' rights and maintaining the ability of adults to engage in anonymous speech."

    He said he anticipates signing the new bill, which will go before the Senate on Monday, just days before the legislative session ends March 8.

    Lawmakers were expecting the veto and worked with DeSantis on the compromise. The issue is a top priority for Republican House Speaker Paul Renner, who believes social media is causing psychological damage to children.

    "My personal view is we ought to go to 18. It is bad. It is poison," Renner said. "Their business model is addiction that causes harm to children for profit. That's not good."

    But Renner expressed optimism after the veto and said the new proposal is an improvement to the original bill and will have broader public support.

    "It's a good product of compromise," he said. "It will have a better chance of getting through the courts."

    Several states have considered similar legislation. In Arkansas, a federal judge blocked enforcement of a law in August that required parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts.

    Supporters in Florida hope the bill will withstand legal challenges because it would ban social media formats based on addictive features such as notification alerts and autoplay videos, rather than on the content on their sites.

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    Tags:Gov. Ron DeSantisPaul RennerSocial Media



    EU accuses TikTok of “addictive design” that harms children, seeks changes to protect users

    Friday, February 6, 2026
    The icon for the TikTok video sharing app is seen on a smartphone in Marple Township, Pa., Feb. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

    The European Union on Friday accused TikTok of breaching the bloc's digital rules with "addictive design" features that lead to compulsive use by children, in preliminary charges that strike at the heart of the popular video sharing app's operating model.

    EU regulators said their two-year investigation found that TikTok hasn't done enough to assess how features such as autoplay and infinite scroll could harm the physical and mental health of users, including minors and "vulnerable adults."

    The European Commission said it believes TikTok should change the "basic design" of its service. The commission is the EU's executive arm and enforcer of the 27-nation bloc's Digital Services Act, a sweeping rulebook that requires social media companies to clean up their platforms and protect users, under threat of hefty fines.

    TikTok denied the accusations.

    "The Commission's preliminary findings present a categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform, and we will take whatever steps are necessary to challenge these findings through every means available to us," the company said in a statement.

    TikTok's features including infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications, and highly personalized recommender systems "lead to the compulsive use of the app, especially for our kids, and this poses major risks to their mental health and wellbeing," Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said at a press briefing in Brussels.

    "The measures that TikTok has in place are simply not enough," he said.

    The company now has a chance to defend itself and reply to the commission's findings. Regnier said "if they don't do this properly," Brussels could issue a so-called non-compliance decision and possible fine worth up to 6% of... Read More

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