Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a new law prohibiting children under 14 from holding social media accounts and requiring parental consent for account creation for anyone aged 14-15.

The Details: The law requires people under 14 who have accounts to delete them. It also demands enhanced age verification for sites containing 'obscene' or 'harmful' content.

The Debate: Supporters view this as a welcome step towards child safety. Critics question the law's enforceability, querying account detection methods, use of VPNs by children, and age verification standards.

What Supporters Said: "Kudos to DeSantis for slamming on the brakes" on "distracting and destructive" social media apps, said Fox News's Greg Gutfeld (Lean Right bias). The governor "took a big step to protect kids," said CBN (Right).

What Critics Said: Voices across the spectrum said the move was an infringement on personal freedoms. DeSantis "betrayed his promise to champion parental rights," said Brad Polumbo (Lean Right). The Miami Herald Editorial Board (Lean Left bias) said we're all "allowed to have an opinion about when and whether children should have access to social media but enshrining it in law may be a step too far." Reason (Lean Right) said the law "places draconian limits on young people's ability to make social media accounts—and requires sites to infringe upon everyone else's privacy in the process."

Will It Stick? "Other laws seeking to crack down on social-media use haven’t fared well in the courts," said The Wall Street Journal (Center). This summary was developed with the help of AllSides' AI technology.