The Florida Senate has passed a ban on social media for minors under the age of 16, and it was vetoed by Governor Ron DeSantis. However, the Senate has approved a new, reformed bill, to ensure that both parents and teens will be protected from the harms of social media. This is likely to spark more than just outrage and probable vetoes, but legal issues and a multitude of questions as well. 

   The Florida Senate and other forms of government have been considering all possibilities brought by social media, both good and bad. There is no question of the extremely high correlation between social media and mental health issues in teenagers, and the Senate is clear of this. The newly reformed bill will include more parental rights in the matter, and allow 14 and 15 year olds to have social media accounts under parental consent. The bill does not specify which social media platforms this bill will affect, and also does not specify how consent will be obtained from parents. 

   Currently, there is an extreme amount of debate over this bill. Those in support of the bill think that social media and its content have affected children for far too long, and that this new bill will finally bring the protection to kids that they have been asking for all along. However, those against the bill believe that this new bill is pointless in that teens will always find a way to access social media, and could be a violation of constitutional rights under the fact that parents own their children’s phones and deserve to set their own modifications to their children’s use of social media. 

   The new bill is still underway in the development process, and governor DeSantis is counting on legislators to incorporate more protective features. Since it is passing, DeSantis is expected to sign the new bill into law soon.