Florida needs digital literacy for kids, not a social media ban

A social media ban in Florida passed this week under Governor Ron DeSantis. Over the past couple of years, there’s been a rise in social media and online safety legislation aimed at children. California, Utah, Ohio, and Arkansas also brought bills to the state level that didn’t pass, leaving Florida as the first to forge the path for heavily restricted social media. A similar bill with bipartisan support hit the national level last year. In April 2023, Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) introduced the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for review, but it has yet to pass the House or Senate. Internationally, the UK proposed the Online Safety Act in early 2023, and then passed it into law on Oct. 23, 2023.