A bill requiring people to verify their age before accessing online content that is “harmful to minors” began moving forward in the Florida House on Thursday, with Speaker Paul Renner making the proposal a legislative priority.
The bill (HB 3) would require any company that “knowingly and intentionally publishes or distributes material harmful to minors on a website or application” to use “reasonable age verification methods” to prove that visitors to the site are at least 18 years of age.
The House Regulatory Reform and Economic Development Subcommittee unanimously approved the measure Thursday, which requires age verifications to be performed by a third party who is not affiliated with the company.
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Rep. Chase Tramont, R-Port Orange, stated that websites that display harmful content frequently do not identify the ages of those who visit them.
“The problem today is that most websites and apps assume everyone to be an adult, which means that children can easily access adult content,” Tramont said in a prepared statement.
The measure also would allow parents and others acting on behalf of a minor to sue and seek damages up to $10,000 from companies that fail to block young people from accessing such websites.
The state Department of Legal Affairs also could fine companies up to $50,000 for violations of the measure. Renner has pointed to negative mental health effects in young people as a result of accessing online adult content and using social-media media websites.
“We are losing our children to social media and adult content websites. We have to give parents a fighting chance against these tech companies that prey on our kids to pad their profit margins,” Renner said in a statement.
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