A Florida bill that would prohibit kids under 16 from signing up for most social media platforms has passed the state House of Representatives.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/11431091

The House passed the bill by a vote of 106 to 13, with many Democrats joining the chamber’s Republican majority in support of the bill. It now heads to the Republican-controlled Senate for consideration.

  • Mario_Dies.wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    68·
    9 months ago

    I’d like to point out that for many of our LGBT+ youth living in hostile places, social media is their safe space. It’s tragic that such is the case, but I’ve seen maps where LGBT+ people post where we’re from, and some of them are kids in the middle of a reservation in a town with 20 people, and they’re all alone.

    As much of a distaste I have for social media use in general, I often think about these kids and the reasons they have for using it.

    I’m also well aware of the risks of kids being exploited via social media, but I’m not convinced the best answer is just shutting them off like this.

    • DessertStorms@kbin.social
      12·
      9 months ago

      This all applies to disabled kids (and adults, of course) too, especially those who are unable to leave the house or otherwise struggle with in person interaction (and who would often be left completely isolated without virtual communication)…

      People love to shit on social media, when actually they should be shitting on the rich and powerful who use it to manipulate society, not those using it looking to connect to others…

    • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
      10·
      9 months ago

      Yeah full agree. As a teenager the internet made me understand I wasn’t the only one like me. Reddit was a major player in that. Tumblr just as easily could’ve been. And I wasn’t even rural, I was just trans before anyone was willing to talk about us.

      And yeah it’s not just queer kids. It’s also kids with abusive parents learning that that’s not normal. Social media probably has a net negative impact on teenagers, but I’d rather we focus on trying to fix the problems than just outright banning it. We’re too comfortable banning things these days

      • Mario_Dies.wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        5·
        9 months ago

        Hell, even as an adult living in an extremely conservative area, I greatly value my online spaces to remind me I’m not totally losing my mind.

    • skydivekingair@lemmy.world
      7·
      9 months ago

      Maybe comforting to think about it like this: kids find a way. Every generation has individuals that will outsmart restrictive methods out there for the masses.