Social Media

The law, which was one of the biggest issues of the 2024 legislative session, seeks to prevent children under age 16 from opening social-media accounts on certain platforms — though it would allow parents to give consent for 14- and 15-year-olds to have accounts. Children under 14 could not open accounts.

Florida's attorney general told reporters in Tampa that he had no role in the Hope Florida settlements. He also announced that the state would be doubling down on protecting children on social media.

Technology companies are identifying the first popular social media platforms covered under Florida's new law banning such services for young teens: Snapchat and YouTube.=

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker rejected a request by a consortium of technology companies for a preliminary injunction that would have at least further temporarily blocked the state’s ban from taking effect.

A federal judge on Friday told lawyers in a landmark social media case it would be a “hard row to hoe” for state officials to justify a complete ban on social media for young teenagers, signaling his skepticism toward the new Florida law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A social media showdown is unfolding in Florida as a federal judge in Tallahassee considers whether to block a new Florida law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that bans social media for young teens.

A bill passed in Tallahassee last year aimed to keep kids and younger teens away from social media. But critics question its constitutionality, leading to a number of lawsuits against the state.

Legal challenges will decide the fate of the state's new ban on social media for kids under 14. Plus, more on how Broward County's cellphone ban during the school day is going.

Ten laws passed during the 2024 legislative session will take effect Wednesday. They were among 299 bills approved by the Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis, the majority of which took effect July 1.

Florida's new law takes effect at the beginning of the year and critics are already calling the law unconstitutional.

The Life in Media Survey will collect data from thousands of preteens over the next quarter century, measuring how using digital media changes attitude, behavior and health throughout their lives.

The groups claim the law violates the First Amendment and posits that parents should be the ones to decide what platforms or websites their children access and use.