Florida’s controversial governor, Ron Desantis, has signed a law that will restrict children under the age of 14 from using social media accounts and will only be accessible under parental permission. A number of states have considered similar legislation.
The new law was the top legislative priority for Republican state house speaker, Paul Renner. It takes effect on January 1st.
“A child in their brain development doesn’t have the ability to know that they’re being sucked into these addictive technologies and to see the harm and step away from it, and because of that we have to step in for them,” Paul Renner said at a ceremony for the bill signing.
Renner said he expects social media companies to “sue the second after this is signed.” “But you know what? We’re going to beat them,” Renner remarked. “We’re going to beat them and we’re never, ever going to stop.”