Florida - Thursday January 25, 2024: The Florida House of Representatives Wednesday overwhelming passed a bill requiring age verification on websites that post material harmful to children. A similar measure is under consideration in the Florida Senate.
House Bill 3 was introduced by Representatives Chase Tramont, a Republican from Port Orange, and Toby Overdorf, a Palm City Republican. The measure would also require that all data collected to verify the age of a person attempting to access adult material must be deleted immediately.
119 House members voted for the Bill. No one cast a vote against it.
“HB 3 simply strengthens a law that we’d all agree is commonsense and in the best interest of our children,” said Representative Tramont. “It’s time we enforce age restrictions on online adult content to protect our children physically, mentally, and spiritually."
“It’s shameful how easily our children can access obscene adult material online,” said Representative Overdorf. “This bill helps parents regulate what their child has access to and mandates age-verification methods required of adult establishments. I appreciate the opportunity to work with Representative Tramont and Speaker Renner on this commonsense solution.”
“The same logic that applies to preventing children from entering adult establishments must be applied to accessing pornographic materials online. Existing guardrails are insufficient to prevent our kids from easily navigating the internet to view the sort of obscene material we hope to protect them from in the real world,” said Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Coast).
If passed by the state Senate, and signed by the Governor, the measure would take effect July 1, although it is expected to be challenged in court which could delay implementation.
For more information on HB 3, visit www.myfloridahouse.gov.