Florida House speaker touts bill banning kids from social media to U.S. lawmakers

The day after a hearing in which federal lawmakers grilled social media CEOs about concerns over their platforms harming children, Florida House Speaker Paul Renner publicly thanked the U.S. Senate committee that hosted it.

"I write to express my sincere gratitude for bringing social media executives forward to confront essential matters related to the addictive nature of their platforms and the harmful effects they are having on America's children," the Palm Coast Republican wrote in a Thursday letter to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

A lot of eyes were on the committee Wednesday. In one of the most high-profile moments, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stood, turned around and faced families who have accused his platforms, Facebook and Instagram, of harming their children.

He apologized, vowing to "continue doing industry-leading efforts to make sure no one has to go through the things your families have had to suffer.”

But the purpose of Renner's letter went beyond appreciation: "I urge you to support common sense age verification for social media companies," he told U.S. senators.

Speaking to reporters Thursday evening after the Florida House adjourned, he compared the hearing with Meta to when tobacco companies testified before Congress in 1994 and said nicotine wasn't addictive.

"I applaud both Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee for taking up the charge that we've taken up here," Renner said.

The policy is one of his priorities of the 2024 legislative session. He made sure to mention it in the letter, sent less than a week after Gov. Ron DeSantis said he had concerns that the measure "may create some legal issues."

The Florida House passed legislation last week that would ban minors younger than 16 from "addictive" social media platforms and requiring age verification.

"These companies know they are causing significant harm to our children, yet their proposed solutions are merely window dressing to give parents a false sense of security," Renner wrote.

The bill (HB 1) still must pass the Senate before it can be sent to DeSantis, who nonetheless says he wants changes.

"I want to empower parents, I want to give parents tools to be able to do this, so I just think you have to be smart with how you do it," the governor has said.

Other states have passed similar laws to the one the House just approved – but they’ve had parental rights exceptions. And that hasn’t been enough to protect them against legal challenges.

A 2023 law in Arkansas, for example, has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge amid First Amendment concerns. The same happened earlier this month for a new Ohio law.

Renner himself has said he believes it's legally sound, since it doesn't go after individual companies but rather platforms that, according to the bill language, use "addictive, harmful, or deceptive design features, or any other feature that is designed to cause an account holder to have an excessive or compulsive need to use or engage with the social media platform."

He said the House has been working closely with the Senate and the governor's office to finalize and narrow the bill to survive legal challenges.

"Our bill is in a unique position that this is a better effort than previous state efforts," he said Thursday evening. "We have some confidence that we will succeed once a challenge is brought."

Ana Goni-Lessan and USA TODAY contributed to this report. This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Douglas Soule is based in Tallahassee, Fla. He can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com. On X: @DouglasSoule.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Despite DeSantis concerns, Florida lawmaker backs social media bill