Welcome to the Nanny State, Florida Republican style.
Years ago, the Republicans decried what they called “the Nanny State” they accused the Democrats of wanting. The Nanny State would deprive, so they said, people of the right to make their own decisions, substituting government decrees for personal responsibility.
That was then.
This is now.
Florida Republicans have outlawed diversity, inclusivity and sensitivity training in public schools and universities. They have made it easy for anyone to challenge what books students may read. In the process, teachers and librarians, and even school districts, were frightened to the point of removing books from shelves, such as “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Diary of Ann Frank.” Something in those books might offend someone, make them feel bad about themselves or has something someone somewhere objects to. The complaint does not have to come from a parent or even someone in the school district.
So much for parents deciding what their children should read or learn about our diverse country. We don’t want anyone to run the risk of being made to feel bad, so we’ll protect everyone from this material.
Now Florida Republicans have decided parents cannot be trusted to monitor their children’s online activities. Governor Ron DeSantis has signed into law a bill banning children younger than 14 from being on social media. Those 14- and 15-year-olds need parental consent to be on social media.
The law contains definitions of what a social media platform is, such as allowing a user to view or upload content of other users, and what are addictive features, such as interactive metrics. It requires social media platforms to determine who is to be banned based on the person’s age associated with the account and the advertising targeted to the account.
Parents must consent to a 14- or 15-year-old to staying on social media. How social media platforms will do that will be interesting to see. I should think that an enterprising teen could get a parent’s proof of identification, such as driver’s license and Social Security number, without too much trouble.
And if the social media companies fail to comply adequately, they are not only subject to state civil penalties, but also private individuals may sue them.
Parents, you have until January 1, 2025, to decide what your children can do online. That is when the law takes effect.
Welcome to the Republican’s Nanny State where the government knows better than parents.
For more, go to williamblocher.com
You ask, how will the media platform know? Well, “they” have been collecting data on “you” for years now. They swore they would never connect that data to any one individual. Useful real time traffic data on GPS maps for example.
Then came more intrusive and unwanted personalized ads. How do they know I might want to sell my car?
Oh “they” will know. They probably already do. Mindless nincompoops like Desantis will set the AI loose on all of us. Judging from what we see in congress, those in power may not want an AI snooping through their internet lives.