Parents on Florida's new social media ban for minors and the challenges it faces

This year, the use of social media among children was a hot button topic, so much so that Florida's governor passed a law set to take effect on Jan. 1^st banning children under the age of 14 from having a social media account.

“The internet is a big world, and you wouldn’t let your kid leave the neighborhood without your permission so why would you let them have open access to the internet like that?” said one dad named Peter.

Some parents like Peter are praising kicking kids off social media. Others, like Damaris, a mother of a young boy, are not sure it’ll do what it intended.

“I guess it is just that they are so tech savvy nowadays and they are younger that they will find a way around it, so I am just not sure how enforceable it is, and I just don’t know how much Meta itself or other big companies will be able to do about it,” Damaris said.

The ban, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in March, prohibits children in Florida under the age of 14 from joining social media. Those 14 or 15 will have to get parental consent before joining the platform, and social media companies will be directed to delete existing accounts of those under the age threshold.

It’s something Carolina Pareja, a mother of four, believes will be difficult to enforce and monitor.

"I tried creating a profile for a sports page for my son and I was asked to provide a birth certificate. But I don’t see there being enough resources or capacity to be able to do that for every single account, unless it’s reported by somebody else, unless they are notified there’s a breach,” she said.

And she's not the only one with apprehensions. Part of the law has already been challeneged on First Amendment grounds.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said the state would not be enforcing the law on major social media platforms until the court rules on a motion for a preliminary injunction. A hearing is already set for February.

Pareja said her eldest children, ages 13 and 10, have Snapchat, but are only able to access it on her phone.

She said it’s the way their generation communicates, but she believes parents should ultimately decide when it’s right for their child to access it.

“You don’t want your child to be left out and so allowing them to do things slowly but surely but with precautions I think is the way to go,” she said.

“Using social media is a responsibility, not just a right,” explained Vanessa Dennen, a professor at Florida State University.

Dennen said while there’s dangers on the apps, it’s also a developmentally appropriate way for teens to communicate.

She’s hoping this ban might be a conversation starter for families on best practices.

“By getting parents to talk to their teens about why they want to use social media and how they want to use social media, it should open up a number of opportunities about why they are worried about them using social media, the behaviors they shouldn’t engage with, and the people they shouldn’t engage with," Dennen said. "And perhaps an opportunity for parents to listen to their teens as well."

Two teens NBC6 spoke with, 16-year-olds Lucia and Jose, believe this ban is a move in the right direction.

“I feel like there was a lot more drama because of the age range, they are not as mature and they can’t make the right decisions for themselves,” said Lucia.

And if they could go back in time, Jose shares they would go app-less.

“Social media isn’t really that important at that age. You are still a kid. Just enjoy life," Jose said. "You don’t need social media to have fun or to be happy. I think social media is just a plus but a very dangerous one."