by Al Pefley

Wed, January 31st 2024 at 5:49 PM

West Palm Beach, FL/CBS12 News — Politicians on Capitol Hill aren’t the only ones looking to take action to protect kids from social media.

A bill in the Florida Legislature would restrict social media access for anyone under 16.

Florida isn’t the first state to try to protect children from the dangers of social media.

But state lawmakers hope we will be one of the first to pass new rules that will take care of kids without being tied up in court

“I’ve referred to social media as digital fentanyl because it’s that addictive. It’s that difficult for teens who start to use social media and they get hooked. It’s pretty similar across the various different platforms. They have a really, really hard time putting down these devices,” said State Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota.

Last week, a bill to ban social media for kids under 16 in Florida passed the House by a large margin.

Other states such as Ohio and Utah have also attempted to restrict access by young people to social media. 

The bill would prevent minors from creating new accounts and terminate existing accounts for kids younger than 16.

“We can keep our kids safe from a host of different evils by you know, shuttin’ the door. But when it comes to social media, that technology is on your phone and it follows you no matter where you go,” Rep. McFarland said.

Research is clear, especially for young girls, constantly scrolling these feeds can lead to depression, anxiety, bullying and low self-esteem.

It can also lead to being victimized by an online predator.

“I’m an adult and in my profession I’m heavily involved in social media and I see how it has harmed adults, so I could certainly see the influence it would have on impressionable children at a vulnerable stage in their lives,” said Geoffrey Fienberg, a parent of three children, the oldest one is seven.

“Personally, it’s my kid. It’s my choice. I don’t think anybody should be able to tell me if my child can go on social media,” said the mother of a 10 year old girl who declined to give her name.

“I do think that wouldn’t concern any lawmakers at all. That would be handled in-house,” said Jessica Fetters, a parent of a seven year old boy.

One West Palm Beach psychologist told CBS12 News she agrees.

“I don’t think we need a bill to do what we need to do. We can’t legislate our way out of things. We can’t make decisions based on fear,” said Dr. Rachel Needle, a licensed psychologist in West Palm Beach and Executive Director of Whole Health Psychological Center.

Dr. Needle acknowledges the potential harm misusing these apps can do, but says parents should be the ones helping their children navigate the internet and social media safely.

“I think we need to entrust parents to be able to talk to their children and set the rules and boundaries that they need rather than making these huge decisions based on fear and just trying to prohibit things,” Dr. Needle said.

State Rep. McFarland says the Florida Senate will take up the bill next week. She believes it will pass and the Governor will sign it.

But the Governor has admitted to some concern about the legality of the proposal.

If it does become law, it would take effect in July.