Florida has passed a law banning all teenagers under the age of 14 from having a social media account. According to legislators, the measures put in place by these platforms to protect minors are largely insufficient.
It’s proven. Social networks have a harmful impact on the mental health of young people, and the platforms concerned know it. In 2021, Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, for example, revealed that the company had conducted an internal study revealing that Instagram “ worsens body image problems for one in three adolescent girls “. Aware of the stakes, the Web giant chose not to disclose this information and continued to operate in the same way.
Similarly, another study carried out last year by Ofcom in the United Kingdom shows that the viewing habits of younger people have gradually shifted towards subjects that highlight gossip and controversy.
Florida says it wants to help parents
Faced with the scale of the problem, Florida decided to act. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed new legislation to prevent young people from browsing social media. The text will come into force in January 2025. It will concern platforms which multiply notifications and offer infinite short videos, like Snapchat, Instagram or TikTok.
Once the regulations come into force, these companies will have to delete the accounts of minors under the age of 14. Teenagers aged 14 or 15 will have the right to have an account, but only with the approval of a parent or guardian. Through this approach, Florida explains that it wants to help parents.
“ A child, in their developing brain, does not have the capacity to know that they are being sucked into these addictive technologies, to see the evil and move away from it. This is why we must intervene in their place “, argues Paul Renner, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.
Several complaints filed against social networks
The majority of social networks offer measures aimed at preventing young people from using their services. On Facebook, TikTok or Instagram, for example, those under 13 are not allowed to have an account. However, these rules can be circumvented very simply. Legislators estimate that millions of minors still have accounts on these different platforms.
In the United States, regulators are increasingly concerned about the impact of social networks on young people. Last year, 33 states filed lawsuits against Meta, accusing it of deliberately getting teens addicted to its platforms. Several schools in the city of Seattle also targeted Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok in a lawsuit, claiming that they harmed the mental health of students.
In Florida, it is very likely that the law will be challenged in court by the first parties concerned. The web giants have already succeeded in overturning several similar, or even less severe, laws in other states. Their line of defense: such a text constitutes a direct violation of the First Amendment to the American Constitution, promoting freedom of expression and information.
Source : The Wall Street Journal
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