DeSantis Signs ‘Online Protections For Minors’ Bill Into Law

I hear from a lot of you about today’s bill signing for House Bill 3, which and speaker’s going to go into a lot, so I’ll let him handle most of the heavy lifting on that. But I just would say when I deal with different issues, you look at it from the perspective of being a governor and the best interest of the state. And one of the things that informs me on issues relating to children is just being a dad of young children. And so we’re looking with a first-grader, kindergartner and a preschooler now. My wife and I are looking at what is positive out there and what is negative out there and doing the best we can as parents to try to provide the best upbringing that we can for kids.

(00:46)
And one of the things that I know a lot of parents have had concerns about is the role that the internet and social media play in the upbringing of young kids. And the speaker’s done a lot of work on this, and I’m sure he’ll talk about some of the different things. But I think one of the things that strikes me particularly as somebody who has a background as being a prosecutor one time is you look at young kids and you know there’s dangers out there. Unfortunately, we’ve got predators who prey on young kids, and it used to be, well, if they’re out somewhere, maybe they’re not being supervised, maybe some predator can strike. Now with things like social media and all this, you can have a kid in the house safe seemingly, and then you have predators that can get right in there into your own home. You could be doing everything right but know how to get and manipulate these different platforms. And so it’s created huge problems.I know there’s a lot of other problems just generally.

(01:51)
I will say last year we passed a piece of legislation primarily designed to empower teachers, making sure there was classroom discipline and a whole host of things. One of the things we did was say no cell phone use during the class. And the people are hemming and hawing about that and everything. But the reality is that that has been done across Florida and it’s been successful. Being buried in those devices all day is not the best way to grow up. It’s not the best way to get a good education. So we’re proud of that and I think what they’ve done today is going to build off that and ultimately trying to help parents navigate this very difficult terrain that we have now with raising kids.

(02:43)
And so I appreciate the work that’s been put in and we’re going to hear from a number of different people here today. But we have done an awful lot in the State of Florida over these last many years. I think that we’re hitting on the right notes and I think we’re doing a good job. So first, let me bring up the man of the hour, the Speaker of the House, Paul Renner to talk about it.

Well, it’s great to be with you. I want to first thank the governor for his leadership on being here today to support our children, protecting our children. Also our bill sponsors, Senator Grall in the Senate, Representative Sirois in the House, and we also have some others that were instrumental in this bill, both in the House and Senate, and thank them for their leadership on this bill. And it was really Senator Grall that got me engaged on this issue. If you asked me a year ago, I would’ve said, “Kids are on social media too much, but what’s the big deal?” And I would be one of those people that was really on the sidelines. But knowing what I know now, none of us can afford to be on the sidelines when it comes to social media, when it comes to hardcore pornography that our kids are being exposed to.

(03:58)
So what do we know? We know from law enforcement, we know from our prosecutors that social media is the primary platform in which children are trafficked, in which pedophiles pretending to be children come after our children, and that more crimes against children happen on these platforms than any other venue. We know that. We also know that social media platforms have caused a devastating effect in the mental wellbeing of our children. We know that three hours a day or more you’re twice as likely to suffer depression. We know that when you look at high school women that 57% had persistent hopelessness or loneliness over the last year, 41% had mental health issues over the last 30 days and almost a third 30% contemplated suicide over the last year. When you look at numbers like that, we cannot stand on the sidelines.

(04:52)
We know that anorexia rates have skyrocketed, self-harm has skyrocketed. And I am sure that people in this room have a story, either a personal story or someone that they know who have suffered because of what social media platforms are doing and why is this happening. And what we did that’s unique in this bill is we didn’t focus on content. You will not find a line in this bill that addresses good speech or bad speech because that would violate the First Amendment. We’ve not addressed that at all. What we have addressed is the addictive features that are at the heart of why children stay on these platforms for hours and hours on end, that to be under the bill you have to have a personalized algorithm which is curating content for your children, which is encouraging them to stay on just a few more hours longer every day and is leading them and nudging them in a particular direction. And oftentimes when they’re suffering mental health issues, that’s nudging them in a very, very dark direction.

(05:54)
And also you have to have addictive features, whether it’s infinite scrolling or the likes and hearts that gives you that little dopamine hit, that little drug hit to your brain that keeps you wanting to stay online longer and longer. The platform has to allow your child to upload content but also a total stranger to download content to them, and also has to have active daily users who are on the platform at least two hours a day, which we know is when you start to see those mental health harms. And so our bill is focused on addiction and when you think about it, children are not set up to handle the addiction that some of us as adults have had to face and step away from. So unlike an adult who can make an adult decision, say, “I drank too much last night, I need to drink less or stop drinking altogether.” A child in their brain development doesn’t have the ability to know that they’re being sucked in to these addictive technologies and to see the harm and step away from it.

(06:54)
And because of that, we have to step in for them and that’s why we have a bright line under 14 and then [inaudible 00:07:00] parental consent at 14 and 15, and then at 16 you can get your own platform. This is an issue where we can no longer stand on the sidelines because of what we know. And, again, I want to thank the governor. I want to thank our bill sponsors for taking action. Florida will lead the way, as we have often done, because of the way we have structured this bill in a way that will withstand scrutiny in the federal courts on First Amendment grounds because we focus not on content, but on the addictive technology.

(07:29)
And I’ll leave you with this. If I said to you that a company was going to take children, use addiction that causes them harm for profit, what does that sound like? It sounds like trafficking to me. And this digital trafficking is exactly what groups like NetChoice, that is the umbrella group that will sue the day after this bill assigned or the second after this assigned. But you know what? We’re going to beat them. We’re going to beat them and we’re never ever going to stop [inaudible 00:07:58]. Thank you, guys.

Okay, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz.

Thank you, Governor and thank you Speaker Renner for your leadership and the legislators that worked on this. We stand here today at a critical time with the pervasive influence of social media that has infiltrated every part of our lives, but especially our students’ lives, and as Commissioner of Education and father of four, this is something that’s very concerning. We talked about as the governor and the speaker has mentioned the ills of mental health that come with this, the attention deficit that comes with this, and the access of inappropriate materials that can come with this. I’m thankful for Governor DeSantis’ leadership because I’ll tell you some of the stuff that the governor already mentioned that we’re doing in the state.

(08:47)
In Florida schools, we already require school boards to implement website filtering software that prevents students from accessing social media sites while using a district owned computer or server. We provide teachers with the authority to establish classroom rules on cell phone use during instructional times and to have a designated place in the classroom to store cell phones. We prohibit the use of TikTok on district owned devices. We ensure the school districts are preventing students from accessing websites or software that do not protect their personal information. We require instruction on the dangers of social media, which will go into effect in the 24, 25 school year, and that includes how social media can negatively influence healthy behaviors such as personal thoughts and feelings, nutrition, as well as physical activity. How social media can contribute to cyber building and can affect mental wellbeing. How social media can encourage dangerous and risky behaviors in children. How students can recognize and handle suspicious behavior online while providing information and how they can report their encounters.

(09:48)
I’m so thankful that this legislation is here today and for the leadership of Governor DeSantis, Speaker Renner and our legislature to be able to continue to address this and to be able to in Florida lead in providing for parental rights. Our parents should be guiding our kids, especially navigating these difficult waters of social media. Again, thank you, Governor.

Attorney General Ashley Moody.

Well, hello, great to be with everyone. Raise your hand if you are a fan of Florida, and raise your hand if you’re a fan of Florida because we get things done and take care of issues before they overwhelm our state. You want to know a main reason that is? This man right here, Governor DeSantis And our great legislative leadership Speaker Paul Renner, our Commissioner Diaz, all of our great legislative leaders. I am so proud to work with you and let me just tell you why this is a big deal for Florida and why this is yet again another way Florida is leading this nation.

(10:58)
Two years ago in 2021, Florida launched an investigation, we led on this, against social media platforms trying to determine whether their business models of which, by the way, they’re a $100 billion company, were profiting off of our children and harm to our children. And yes indeed, during those investigations we discovered they were setting up business models to make sure that children, parents, others alike were spending the maximum amount of time online by infinite scrolling, addictive features. I can go on and on and on. These are algorithms specifically designed to addict people. Then they mine the data, they advertise to those using it, they profit and as a result, our children are harmed. You heard it, anorexia, self-harm, anxiety, depression, suicide. We still haven’t seen the long-term effects. Florida was one of the first states and led in that investigation and in the fall, in October, Florida sued against social media platform Meta and Instagram for this behavior and how they are monetizing the harm to our children.

(12:14)
Our legislative leaders, our governor said, “Not in Florida.” And so they passed legislation to stop it. And this is going to be a piece of legislation, I truly believe, that is a model for the rest of the nation. You are hearing from folks up here that are in the roles of governor, speaker of the House, legislators, attorney general, my primary role in life, mom. And if we cannot protect our children in this digital frontier of the wild, wild west, there is no way with their maturity level and inexperience in life they will ever be able to protect themselves.

(12:52)
This is the first generation from where I studied with dial-up internet to now we have children online every day, all night. They can’t stay off. And if you think they’re safe in your homes, I can tell you that predators are getting to them. They are not only forcing them and blackmailing them to send explicit photos of themselves, but they are luring them away from their homes and their schools and their communities and they are sexually abusing them. This is happening. And so Florida has to lead because it is coming from no place else to protect our children. So parents, be aware that this is happening. Florida, thank you for stepping in. I am so proud to be a part of this amazing team and we will keep working at this and you better believe I’m going to fight like hell to uphold this in court. Thank you so much.

Okay, Senator Erin Grall.

Thank you, Governor and thank you Speaker Renner for listening and for understanding this mom’s heart. And because just like our attorney general, one of the best jobs that I have ever had is that of being a mother, and second only to being a wife to a husband who has the grace to let me do this job.

(14:20)
What I want to say to all the parents out there is that it’s going to be hard, right? This is hard. They have made our parenting difficult by addicting our children. And this came to me from another mother when I was speaking to her about the difference that I saw in raising our 10 and 12-year-old and our 3-year-old. So when you have an age gap like that within the last 10 to 15 years, you can really see firsthand how technology is coming for our children at every level, at every level. And I encourage all if you have a small child who’s used to being on a tablet, take it away for a couple minutes, see what happens. See what happens.

(15:14)
We have a mental health crisis in our country and it’s being perpetuated by this massive amount of screen time, social media and addictive behaviors. And so I’m grateful for the leadership of the State of Florida to take this on in a way that we believe will absolutely be upheld in court and be a model for the country. But it always comes back to the parents. And parents for too long we have abdicated our responsibility because there is now this babysitter in our homes. This babysitter has none of the hopes and dreams that you have for your children, none of them, but has the ability to take them all away. So please find a community.

(15:57)
In every room that I speak to, I talk to somebody who has had this touch them personally, but I also have encouraged and there are a number of communities out there where you can find other families who are doing the same thing so that you aren’t alone. You aren’t alone in trying to say to your children no because, believe me, with a 12-year-old and a 10-year-old and a 3-year-old, I have to say no a lot and they’re very persuasive. And so please find your community of support and I can’t just thank everyone enough for their support of this legislation and for the honor to be able to serve in a capacity in which I can help champion it in the Senate. Thank you.

Okay, Representative Tyler Sirois.

Thank you very much Governor, Mr. Speaker, Senator Grall. It’s been an honor to work with you on this as well as my co-sponsors Representative McFarland and Representative Rayner. And I think one of the things that’s important to underscore for everyone’s benefit is that this bill receives strong bipartisan support in the Florida Legislature. Members work across the aisle with one another, members that normally they don’t even speak to one another were able to dig in and work on this bill, and I hope that Floridians find that reassuring.

(17:19)
Today the message that we are sending to big tech is clear, in Florida you are no longer going to build your business on the backs of our children. We are going to protect our kids from this digital fentanyl. Now, I expect moving forward Floridians are going to hear from these companies that they are bastions of free speech, that they are the town square. For our children these companies are no town square, they are a dark alley. They are a dark alley in which our children are exposed to dangers that parents spend their entire lives having nightmares about. Today we’re taking steps to protect our children from the dark alley that social media represents. It’s an important fight. We have to do it for our kids, we have to do it for the future of our country. It is absolutely necessary and it’s a fight, Mr. Speaker, that I’ve been an honor to serve at your side and be a part of, and Governor, I want to thank you very much for your support as well.

All right, April Carney, Duval County School Board.

Good morning, everyone. I’m going to ask you all to give me some grace this morning because I do not want to embarrass my 13-year-old that’s sitting in the audience. But you all know me as school board member, but like everyone else that’s speaking today, my first role here is mom. And so today I would like to speak candidly with you about our experiences as a family having two teenage daughters, 13 and 18, and the struggles that we’ve gone through with devices.

(19:00)
So I’m the mean mom. I’m the drill sergeant. I’m the one that takes the phone at night. I’m the one that says, “Put it down. Look at me in the eye. Put it down. D Your schoolwork. Put it down. What are you looking at? What are you looking at? Who are you talking to,” over and over and over again. I’m not well liked by my kids because of that. It’s too bad. So I can tell you now we’re five months away from sending our oldest away to college, and I’m absolutely terrified that she’s going to meet somebody on Snapchat that she doesn’t know, that she thinks she knows and leave her dorm room and never come back.

(19:42)
Just last spring I had the opportunity to visit the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Division ICAC, which is the Internet Crimes Against Children Division. And I spent the entire day with these officers who fight tooth and nail to make sure that our kids are not being trafficked by predators through social media. They are a small but mighty team and what I can tell you is that day changed me forever. I thought I was vigilant before, I became even more vigilant now. He showed me how he could take FaceApp, this is an officer in his mid-40s, bald, typical looking dad, and within seconds, morphed himself into a 15-year-old girl and then proceeded to log in to a social media app and start a chat. First thing he said within 15 seconds was, “Hi, I’m so-and-so, I’m 15. Send me a pic.” Child writes back, “You send me your pic.” He sends the 15-year-old morphed image of himself, and she sends back another picture of herself. Within 30 seconds this predator could have engaged with your child and then started a conversation thinking that they’re talking to another 15-year-old.

(21:10)
So I’m terrified about that. I have an 18-year-old going away who we had been fighting addiction for the last six or seven years. She’s been cyber-bullied. She has lost sleep, her sleep cycle’s upside down. She has issues with eating. She has confidence issues. She’s always comparing herself to other girls. And it’s gotten to the point now where she’s an adult, she’s 18, and my husband and I have to say, “Okay, well, you’re going to have to learn how to self-regulate. You’re going to have to be able to do this on your own.”

(21:48)
And I can tell you that as a parent, I am truly terrified. I really am. And I am so thankful that in the State of Florida we have a state legislature and we have a commissioner of education, and we have our great governor that understands the rights of parents and understands that we can’t do this alone and understands that we are in charge of our children’s upbringing, not big tech, not Snapchat, not Instagram, and definitely not TikTok. And they’re giving us the power to make sure that we raise our children in a way that we see fit and that our children are not indoctrinated by these algorithms that are showing up 24 hours a day on our kids’ phones.

(22:34)
So as a parent, as a school board member, I am going to be putting forward policy here in Duval County that we no longer allow cell phones during the day and that will be coming forward this year, and I could not be more proud to serve under this great governor and this wonderful state legislature that fights for our kids every day. Thank you.