DeSantis: Reject Big Tech carve-outs, empower parents. Veto social media ban.

In a recent op-ed in the Sun

Sentinel, former Gov. Jeb Bush expressed his concerns about the potential dangers of social media for students and teenagers. As both an entrepreneur and parent of an 8-year-old girl, I understand both the importance of protecting our youth while at the same time not creating more barriers to entry for them to be successful young entrepreneurs. I believe that House Bill 1, which proposes a ban on social media for children under 16, takes the wrong approach.

While I agree with Bush and House Speaker Paul Renner that the safety and well-being of Florida’s children should be a top priority, I believe that parents, not government officials, should have the authority to make decisions about their children’s online habits. As an entrepreneur and parent myself, I know that some children can benefit from social media, whether it’s for staying connected with distant family or exploring entrepreneurial opportunities.

I come across a lot of young Floridians just like my daughter who are aspiring entrepreneurs. Without access to social media — that is monitored by their parents and at their family’s discretion — these young entrepreneurs would struggle to compete in our 21st century online marketplace. Rather than creating more barriers to entry for young Floridians, we should be supporting and giving parents the tools to help aspiring entrepreneurs who are selling to and competing against others across the globe.

By implementing a blanket ban on social media for all teenagers under

16, Florida lawmakers would be disregarding the rights of parents to raise their children as they see fit and also withholding young entrepreneurs from their aspirations. My wife and I strongly believe that the government should not interfere in how we choose to raise our daughter, and we trust that other parents feel the same way.

That’s why I applaud DeSantis for his recent comments on House Bill 1, in which he acknowledged that not only could an outright ban be unconstitutional, but that we should be empowering parents to make these decisions for their children. “I’m sympathetic to, as a parent, what’s going on with our youth,” DeSantis said. “But I also understand that to just say that someone that’s 15 just cannot have it no matter what, even if the parent consents, that may create some legal issues.”

Instead of an outright ban, I propose DeSantis and the Florida Legislature focus on equipping parents with the necessary tools to monitor their children’s online activities across various social media platforms. This would allow parents to actively participate in their children’s digital lives while still ensuring their safety and well-being. All platforms — especially Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter/X, Discord, TikTok and Facebook — should be included in these monitoring efforts.

However, according to the current language in House Bill 1, Snapchat and Discord would actually be exempt from the proposed social media ban because their “predominant or exclusive function” is direct messaging of text, photos or videos. This carve-out of one of teens’ most-used platforms is dangerous and would provide a false sense of security to parents if they are not also monitoring whether or how their children use Snapchat.

Just a few months ago, right here in Florida, a man was arrested because he was using Snapchat to exploit a teen girl through the app. Snapchat, Discord and all other social platforms must be included to ensure we are protecting our kids, no matter what app they are using.

While it is essential to address the potential risks associated with social media, a one-size-fits-all ban is not the solution. DeSantis and the Florida Legislature should continue their commitment to supporting parental rights and empower parents to make informed decisions about their children’s social media usage. By providing parents with the necessary tools and resources and ensuring any law applies to all social media platforms equally, we can create a safer online environment for Florida’s children without infringing on their rights or stifling their potential for growth and entrepreneurship.

Greg Aguirre is a local entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of U.S. Capital Source Corp. Connect with him about small business and entrepreneurship on X or LinkedIn.