As of 3:25 p.m. on Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed the bill for a youth social media ban in the state. Friday was the deadline to sign the bill into law.
In a tweet posted Friday afternoon, DeSantis said he vetoed the bill because the Legislature will be producing a different, but more “superior bill.”
“I anticipate the new bill will recognize these priorities and will be signed into law soon,” the tweet read.
Under the legislation, those under 16 years of age cannot create accounts on some social media platforms, the websites must terminate profiles held by those under the age and parents can request the deletion of their kids’ accounts.
Some state lawmakers feel the measure is an essential step to preserve mental health and protect kids from ‘addictive features’ on the platforms. The bill easily passed in the Florida House and the Senate.
Rep.Tyer Sirois (R) from Brevard County said, “You see the rate of teen suicide increasing by 181% or you see hospitalizations of self-harm increasing by 151% for ages of young people between the ages of 9 and 12. We have a problem on our hands.”
DeSantis previously expressed concerns that the measure could infringe on parental rights.
“As much as I think it’s harmful to have people on these social media platforms for five or six hours a day, a parent can supervise a kid to use it more sparingly. So, we can’t say 100% of the uses are bad, because it’s not and I’m a critic of social media,” he said.
House Speaker Paul Renner (R) from Palm Coast said he’s working with the governor to smooth out differences over the bill. There’s speculation DeSantis could veto the bill Friday but sign an amended version of the legislation soon.
Opponents of the measure say lawmakers are overstepping. “I just don’t think it’s our government’s job to raise our kids,” one parent said.
If DeSantis does sign the bill Friday, the law would go into effect July 1.