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A social media ban for minors; Florida sends more troops to Texas; state Supreme Court tackles abortion ballot measure

Florida lawmakers are considering a bill would prevent minors under age 16 from creating accounts.
AP
Florida lawmakers are considering a bill would prevent minors under age 16 from creating accounts.

Legislature considers social media ban for children under 16

How young is too young in Florida to have a TikTok account or swipe through Instagram? Many kids in Florida would not be able to sign up for a social media account under legislation gathering bipartisan support among state lawmakers.

The bill would prohibit minors under age 16 from creating accounts. It also would require social media platforms to terminate existing accounts that are “reasonably known” by the platforms to be held by minors younger than 16 and would allow parents to request that minors’ accounts be terminated.

Guests:

  • State Rep. Tyler Sirois, R-Brevard County.
  • Aaron Mackey, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. 

DeSantis sends more troops to Texas-Mexico border 

This week, both of Florida’s U.S. Senators voted against a negotiated immigration reform bill focused on the southern border. The bill failed to get enough support to move forward.

Earlier this month, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he was sending additional members of the Florida State Guard available to Texas, which is in a dispute with the federal government about undocumented immigrants entering the country.

Guests:

  • Julian Aguilar, reporter for The Texas Newsroom based in El Paso, Texas. 

State Supreme Court reviews abortion rights ballot measure 

The Florida Supreme Court will decide if Floridians get to vote on a proposed constitutional abortion rights amendment in the 2024 general election. Justices heard oral arguments this week over whether to approve or reject the language in the measure.

  • Verónica Zaragovia, health reporter for WLRN News. 

Education news 

Dozens of students, parents and teachers spoke out against districtwide book bans at a protest held outside the Brevard County School Board on Tuesday night. As WMFE’s Danielle Prieur reports, it was the first time the board had voted to ban a book.

Meanwhile, Broward County is having a different kind of debate — how to respond to declining student enrollment.

There are more than 50,000 empty seats in classrooms in Broward County Public Schools, and falling enrollment is expected to continue as families opt for homeschooling, private options or charter schools. Broward superintendent Peter Licata says it’s time for the district to make some hard decisions like closing or combining schools.