Florida Banned Social Media For Those Under 14, Should North Carolina Follow?
Should North Carolina ban social media for kids? It’s a fair question and one that will get more discussion in the coming days. This is because yesterday Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill, referred to as HB 3. HB3 specifically prohibits children under the age of 14 from opening social media accounts. Furthermore, 14- and 15-year-olds would only be able to become account holders with parental consent.
“Social media harms children in a variety of ways,” said Governor Ron DeSantis in a press release from his office. “HB 3 gives parents a greater ability to protect their children. Thank you to Speaker Renner for delivering this landmark legislation.”
Should North Carolina Ban Social Media For Kids Like Florida?
And I wholeheartedly agree with this. Bullying is notoriously easier online and doesn’t stop when school ends. Social media can lead to anxiety and other mental health struggles, which are running rampant in teens and young adults these days. Additionally, it’s a sad reality that photos posted online of children can also get into the hands of the wrong people. Plus kids should be kids, they should be outside and around other kids not in front of a screen. The downsides far outweigh the benefits from my perspective.
Specifically, HB3 accomplishes the following things in regards to social media:
- Prevents a minor who is younger than 14 years of age from becoming a social media account holder.
- Empowers parents to decide whether 14- and 15-year-olds can have a social media account.
- Protects the ability of Floridians to remain anonymous online.
Other language in the bill requires pornographic or sexually explicit websites to use age verification. This is obviously to prevent minors from accessing sites that are inappropriate for children. Another thing that should not be controversial at all in my opinion.
“The internet has become a dark alley for our children where predators target them and dangerous social media leads to higher rates of depression, self-harm, and even suicide,” said House Speaker Paul Renner in the press release. And honestly, if it saves even one life it will be worth it.
Will North Carolina ban social media accounts for kids? We shall have to wait and see. But I think you know where I stand on this. And if you have a compelling argument on why you think kids should have access to social media at a young age, well I’d be interested in hearing it.
You can read the full press release on Florida’s HB3 here.
