"Under 14, No Instagram" Florida to Enforce Law Starting Next Year

The state of Florida in the United States will implement a law banning social networking service (SNS) sign-ups for minors under the age of 14 starting January next year.

Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida signed and announced the Minor Online Protection Act (HB 3) on the 25th (local time), which centers on this content. Governor DeSantis explained, "SNS harms children in various ways," and "this law will give parents greater ability to protect their children." The law will take effect on January 1st of next year.

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According to the law, from next year, children under 14 are prohibited from owning SNS accounts, and children aged 14 to 15 need parental permission to create SNS accounts. Additionally, all SNS users in Florida must submit identification for age verification. For accounts already created, platform companies must delete those accounts.

The law also restricts minors' access to adult sites. Furthermore, if a specific SNS is deemed harmful to minors, the state court can abolish the 'parental consent' clause itself.

This is considered the strongest level among related laws passed in the United States so far. Ahead of the presidential election in November, DeSantis, who once competed with former President Donald Trump, had previously vetoed a law passed by the state legislature that banned SNS use for those under 16.

However, this law faces potential legal challenges, including violations of the First Amendment (freedom of expression). Arkansas and Ohio also enacted laws requiring parental approval for minors to create SNS accounts, but these were suspended by federal courts in February due to concerns over infringing on youths' access to online information.

NetChoice, a lobbying group including Meta Platforms, TikTok, and Google, immediately opposed the law. Karl Sabo, Vice President and Legal Counsel of NetChoice, criticized, "This law forces Florida residents to hand over sensitive personal information to websites and deprives access to major information channels," adding, "This infringes on First Amendment rights."

TikTok and Alphabet declined to comment on the matter. Meta avoided specific remarks but argued that federal law, not state law, should apply. They also stated a preference for age verification to be conducted at the app store level.

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