TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida lawmakers are poised to pass a bill that bans kids under 16 from having social media accounts.
House Bill 1, called the 'Social Media Use for Minors' Act, heads to the Florida Senate for a vote this week.
If made law, it would prohibit anyone under 16 from creating a new social media account and require platforms to delete existing accounts held by minors younger than 16.
10 Tampa Bay went right to local families to get their perspective on this bill. We spoke with two mothers who use social media very differently in their homes.
In the Singh household, two brothers ages 9 and 11 aren't allowed to use social media.
"When our children were very small, we had a very strict like, 'we're not going to let them just be grown up with a device in their hands at all time,'" Carrie Singh said. "Our kids have used YouTube for looking up how to do a math problem. But that's the extent of the use of our YouTube."
Singh has family who work in education, and said she has been told social media is at the root of most issues at schools.
"Every single fight, every single conflict, every single thing that's a disciplinary issue, all comes back to social media stuff," she said.
Being a "no social media house" is a decision Singh stands by, even when her 11-year-old has shown an interest in social media.
"Parenting is hard. There's nothing easy about it. And I feel like certain things are just a hard no. And my kids' safety and their mental health is very important," Singh added.
She supports HB 1, the 'Social Media Use for Minors' Act, saying it would give parents extra leverage in tough conversations.
"It makes it easier for a parent to say, well, that's just the law. Just like with helmets. Like, well, that's the law. You have to wear a helmet!" Singh said.
However, in other Tampa Bay households, social media is part of day-to-day life.
Lindsay Satmary is a content creator who runs the lifestyle blog @paperclipsandconfetti.
"I have been a content creator since around 2016. And basically, my kids have grown up being in my content," Satmary said.
Satmary also has an 11-year-old son who has taken an interest in social media.
"He's very creative," she explained. "He's working with his friends to develop video games that are actually playable. He produces his own music, and he just wants to share all of his creative abilities with the world and inspire other kids to follow their passions."
Satmary said she runs her son's accounts and oversees what he's sharing and being exposed to.
"People are afraid of allowing their children to be on social media, but there are features there to allow them to do it safely," said Satmary, who attended a Meta clinic teaching parents about safety features.
Satmary feels HB1 oversteps parental rights.
"I think it's a huge mistake to not let parents make the decision for their own children. I think a lot of us know our kids pretty well and know when they're emotionally and mature enough to handle social media and how to do it safely," Satmary said.
Moreover, she argued it could set kids back in the modern age when people make careers online.
"To have them wait until 16, I feel like they're missing the boat," she added. "Kids are out here creating and they deserve to be seen as well."
It's a similar debate in Tallahassee, where lawmakers across party lines are weighing in on this bill.
While some lawmakers argue this is an essential step to keep Florida children safe, others express concerns about over-stepping parental rights and wasting taxpayer dollars on what they foresee to be an inevitable legal battle over this decision.
Among those with concerns is Governor DeSantis, who said it's "to be determined" whether he would sign the bill if it passes in the Senate.
The next time this conversation is taken up in Tallahassee will be this Wednesday, Feb. 21.