Posted on 01/26/2024 5:31:12 AM PST by V_TWIN
Florida lawmakers advanced a bill on Wednesday that would prohibit social media platforms from allowing young teens to have an account while requiring everyone else to verify their age.
The measure prohibits anyone under 16 from creating a new social media account and requires platforms to delete existing accounts held by minors who are younger than 16. It also would require social media companies to delete any personal information from the accounts and for the platforms to use a “nongovernmental, independent, third-party not affiliated with the social media platform” to verify users’ age.
The bill passed the Florida house with a bipartisan 106-13 vote and now heads to the Republican-controlled senate.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
Certainly it would destroy sites like FR. Freedom of speech is a founding principle of our Country and is the life blood of democracy. Insisting on full identification stifles speech. When will people understand it is all about control & nothing about protection.
“That may well be true but it takes eons for things to develop.”
Absolutely NOT true. As soon as this law goes into effect the FR will have three immediate options.
1. Block all incoming traffic from Florida IP addresses.
2. Do extensive work on the platform to apply the law to only those from Florida.
3. Apply the Florida regulation across the board to EVERYONE to make it easier to deal with. (this is what many of the gun websites are doing now just to comply with Ca’s new advertisement law).
Considering how the FR is already having participation and donation issues EVERY one of these will mean the death of the FR if it loses all those participants. And you can bet only one out of a hundred are going to actually comply to this requirement so count them as gone.
This IS NOT only Twitter and Facebook. Every website that has interactive discussion is considered “Social Media”. Including the FR.
This is the reality of it period.
There is not much difference between liberals and conservatives. Almost all think another law will fix the situation.
“what I was thinking was I think we need something to prevent minors with such access”
There ALREADY IS! Has been for years and years now! EVERY computer sold has “parental controls” waiting to be set up by the responsible parents. If anything these parents who do not make the effort to set up these controls should be the violator, and not the platform’s problem at all!
There is no regulation needed for any of it including porn, it is personally already in place and has been for years now! The parents are responsible for this, not the whole world and a whole industry!
That's funny. Playing outdoors with friends was a lifeline when I was growing up. A lot healthier too...
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Yep the world is ever changing. Has been and is ever ongoing.
Humanity has to adapt or move over and let the progress continue
as it develops. Just my opinion yours may vary.
That is one solution but not entirely effective, laws that would hold adults accountable for providing access to social media against the parents wishes would be something we should consider in my opinion.
We cannot trust this woke culture to not intentionally subvert children. What was once isolated bad actors is now entire segments of perverted monsters in positions like teachers intentionally hooking children into social media perversions.
We home schooled our children but I am also sensible enough to know many do not have the option to exercise that much control.
When an adult gives a minor alcohol a parent has recourse against such an action legally.
What does one do is an adult hooks up your 8 year old on tinder against your will?
What does one do is an adult hooks up your 8 year old on tinder against your will?
Do a little reflection, why is another law your first recourse? Are there no other options?
The answer is because it is easier than other options. And there are other options but they are not easy.
It is not my first recourse and I have since read some of the Fl law and agree it is the wroong kind of legislation. My first recourse is better parental oversight.
I also believe providing legal tools to give parents more rights and accountability for those who would introduce children to social media is another good step.
Before COVID, before urban violence, available for kids that can walk or bike to friends. Leave out a lot of kids.
Again your solution makes it mandatory to identify not only posters but also viewers. What a disaster and all to avoid giving parents the responsibility that is theirs alone.
You assume that is the only option, how does at least a law saying it is illegal for a child to use such applications, much like it is illegal to show a child porn make it mandatory for anyone to identify themselves on the internet?
All it would do is give parents a legal avenue to hold some bad actors accountable, at least it provides a tool of deterent.
All you are doing to creating a red herring argument, superimposing solutions I never presented.
You are claiming children are no different than adults because “good parenting” will protect them.
That's a vivid imagination you've got there my amphibious friend. lol
What I'm saying is that this proposed legislation is simply more pandering to nanny-state authoritarian types who think that more government regulation is the solution to every problem.
I'm not one of those, so I don't much care for the proposal.
Internet companies engage in exploitation of children but you think good parenting is what keeps them safe. So, it is NOT an stretch of the imagination to claim the same could be said of any other products. A HUGE difference is that online services are something a child does not possess and is far easier to hide and abuse.
It still should be for most. But think of how many kids have a lousy home life now and who really do need the connection with friends both near and far.
I personally think children and teens spend too much time on social media. However an outright ban by the government is not the solution.
I get it - you’re a nanny-state authoritarian.
I’ll pass.
You make no sense. You ignore the pertinent aspects and focus on the “it might do some good” aspects.
All internet users would suffer an assault on their freedom, the internet free exchange of ideas would dry up. Your fascination with pornography, alcohol and the dangers of social media is evident but legal avenues already exist to prosecute offenses in each of those areas without the heavy handed, draconian, ineffective methods you suggest.
Your approach is what is wrong with America. Virtue signaling and poorly written laws that create problems without fixing anything.
You write gobbledegook.
How would the internet provider be able to prevent access by children if everyone is not identified? How could they be held liable for not doing so if they don’t identify everyone?
I think it is a thoroughly bad idea to keep children off the internet. They use the internet for research for school assignments and for many other worthwhile pursuits. It is their parents’ job to keep them safe on the internet, not the Government or internet providers.
15 year old kids will just VPN their way around this.
It’s the n21st century version of getting a “McLovin” fake ID.
There are laws on the books for introducing a child to pornography, for internet stalking and bullying. Are you so ignorant that you need to reinvent the wheel.
It is illegal for an individual to knowingly use interactive computer services to display obscenity in a manner that makes it available to a minor less than 18 years of age (See 47 U.S.C. § 223(d) –Communications Decency Act of 1996, as amended by the PROTECT Act of 2003).
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