Social Media

On "The Florida Roundup," lawyer, FIU adjunct professor and author of "Your Freedom, Your Power: A Kid's Guide to the First Amendment," Allison Matulli, explained how people need to understand what free speech even means.

AI-powered recommendation algorithms on social media are carving pop culture into tiny, personalized bubbles, fueling echo chambers and leaving fewer shared experiences. Creators and educators unpack what that means for creators, audiences and for the shared experiences we might be losing along the way.

The lawsuit, filed last year, alleges the social media sites are harmful to children and that Meta has violated the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

The law did not name platforms that would be affected. But it includes criteria such as whether platforms' features include infinite scroll and autoplay.

“This conversation brought together leaders who understand that the youth mental health challenge is not something we can fix overnight or with a single solution,” said Carlos Curbelo, a former congressman from Miami and a board member of the national Coalition to Empower our Future, which organized the panel.

Gigi Coloma says she relied on Instagram to drum up most of her business. Then she was locked out of her account for almost three months for a "horrible accusation" — the platform said it was investigating her for “child sexual exploitation, abuse and nudity" following a selfie posted by her young niece for her birthday. She's still waiting for an apology.

Forida’s chief financial officer demanded Friday that social media companies be held accountable for creating disappearing messages that handicap child sex trafficking investigations.

A U.S. District judge ruled that the law likely violated the First Amendment and issued a preliminary injunction to block it. The state, saying it is targeting addictive platforms that can harm children's mental health, quickly appealed to the Atlanta-based appeals court.

Several states have passed laws in recent years related to social-media use by children, spurring a series of legal fights.

A group of Miami fifth-graders embarked on an experiment: a 21-day digital detox. No phone, tablets or video games, with students measuring effects on sleep, focus and social connections. The challenge was simple, but the results were profound for teachers, parents and students. “It’s amazing how three weeks can change your whole life,” said one.

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.