Florida exempts some social media sites from new limits on teens; no one knows which ones

The new ban on social media in Florida for young teens, something the Legislature rewrote and passed this week, is so narrowly crafted that it’s not clear which popular online platforms might be covered – if any of them.

Just days after Gov. DeSantis vetoed an earlier measure , lawmakers approved legislation that would block anyone under 16 from using some social media but would allow 14 and 15 year olds to use the online services with a parent’s permission. The House passed the bill 109-4 late Wednesday, after the Senate voted 30-5 to approve it.

The new version of the proposed law – rushed through by lawmakers with only days remaining in the legislative session – covers only social media platforms with 10% or more of daily active users who are younger than 16 and who spend an average of two hours or more on the service. Both conditions must be met, or the law doesn’t apply to that social media provider.

Lawmakers haven’t identified which social media companies would be affected and which wouldn’t. After Friday, the leaders won’t meet again until March 2025.