佛罗里达州的社交媒体禁令：保护儿童还是扼杀言论自由？

佛罗里达州的新法律禁止 14 岁以下儿童使用社交媒体，并要求 14 岁和 15 岁儿童征得父母同意，旨在保护他们的心理健康免受潜在的网络风险。该立法要求平台在未经父母同意的情况下终止 14 岁以下和 16 岁以下的帐户，并实施第三方验证系统来筛选未成年用户。

Does Social Media Ban Protect Kids or Stifle Free Speech?

社交媒体禁令是保护儿童还是扼杀言论自由？

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has inked a law that bans kids under 14 from social media platforms and requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds. The goal? To shield them from the potential mental health hazards lurking online.

佛罗里达州州长 Ron DeSantis 签署了一项法律，禁止 14 岁以下的儿童使用社交媒体平台，并要求 14 岁和 15 岁的儿童获得父母的同意。目标？保护他们免受网上潜伏的潜在心理健康危害。

The legislation forces social media giants to boot users under 14 and those under 16 without parental consent. They're also mandated to employ third-party verification systems to screen for underage users. Initially, the bill aimed to ban social media for children under 16 altogether, but it was tweaked to allow parental consent for older kids.

该立法迫使社交媒体巨头在未经父母同意的情况下引导 14 岁以下和 16 岁以下的用户。他们还被要求使用第三方验证系统来筛查未成年用户。最初，该法案旨在完全禁止 16 岁以下儿童使用社交媒体，但后来进行了调整，允许年龄较大的孩子获得父母的同意。

DeSantis's Dilemma: Social Media Scourge or Parental Prerogative?

德桑蒂斯的困境：社交媒体祸害还是家长特权？

DeSantis argues that social media has a detrimental impact on young minds, and this law empowers parents to shield their kids from its negative effects. Proponents echo this, claiming that excessive social media use can trigger anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues in children.

德桑蒂斯认为，社交媒体对年轻人的思想产生有害影响，这项法律赋予父母保护孩子免受其负面影响的权利。支持者对此表示赞同，声称过度使用社交媒体会引发儿童焦虑、抑郁和其他心理健康问题。

But detractors counter that the law infringes on the First Amendment's free speech protections. They maintain that decisions about children's online presence should rest with parents, not the government. Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, vehemently opposed the legislation, arguing that it curtails parental discretion and raises data privacy concerns.

但批评者反驳说，该法律侵犯了第一修正案对言论自由的保护。他们坚持认为，有关儿童上网的决定应由家长而不是政府决定。 Instagram 和 Facebook 的母公司 Meta 强烈反对这项立法，认为它限制了家长的自由裁量权并引发了数据隐私问题。

Target: Social Media's Addictive Features

目标：社交媒体的令人上瘾的功能

While the bill doesn't single out specific social media platforms, it takes aim at those that employ features like infinite scrolling, likes, auto-play videos, live streaming, and push notifications. Platforms primarily used for email, messaging, or texting between specific individuals are exempt.

虽然该法案没有单独列出特定的社交媒体平台，但它针对的是那些采用无限滚动、点赞、自动播放视频、直播和推送通知等功能的社交媒体平台。主要用于特定个人之间发送电子邮件、消息或短信的平台不受此限制。

Social media companies must purge personal data from terminated accounts and face potential civil lawsuits if they fail to comply. In March 2023, Utah blazed the trail in regulating children's social media access, with Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas following suit. Other states are mulling similar measures.

社交媒体公司必须清除已终止帐户中的个人数据，如果不遵守规定，将面临潜在的民事诉讼。 2023 年 3 月，犹他州率先规范儿童社交媒体访问，阿肯色州、路易斯安那州、俄亥俄州和德克萨斯州紧随其后。其他州正在考虑采取类似措施。

Balancing Act: Child Protection vs. Free Speech

平衡法：儿童保护与言论自由

Florida's new law treads the delicate line between protecting children from potential online harms and preserving free speech. While supporters applaud it as a tool to address mental health concerns stemming from excessive social media use, critics fear it may stifle parental rights and violate free speech protections.

佛罗里达州的新法律在保护儿童免受潜在的网络伤害和维护言论自由之间划定了微妙的界限。虽然支持者称赞它是解决因过度使用社交媒体而产生的心理健康问题的工具，但批评者担心它可能会扼杀父母权利并违反言论自由保护。

The bill also imposes obligations on social media platforms to safeguard user privacy and empowers parents to hold them accountable through civil lawsuits. As other states contemplate similar regulations, the debate over the balance between child protection and free speech is set to continue.

该法案还规定社交媒体平台有义务保护用户隐私，并授权家长通过民事诉讼追究其责任。随着其他州考虑类似的法规，有关儿童保护和言论自由之间平衡的争论将继续下去。