Florida politics has welcomed a conservative hegemony unlike any other in the nation as a result of Gov. Ron DeSantis's "Florida First agenda." And now it appears as if Florida Democrats have read the writing on the wall and are aligning themselves with Gov. DeSantis on protecting children from the dangers of social media.
State Rep. Michelle Rayner-Goolsby (D), who is the author of HB 591, or the Social Media Protection for Minors bill, agrees with Gov. DeSantis's efforts to protect children from "grooming" and exploitation by Big Tech-supported social media platforms
"Everybody knows the governor and I don't agree on quite a lot, but I will say this, my parents taught me I'm with you when you're right. And I believe that this is right," said Rep. Rayner-Goolsby to The Floridian after a press conference on her bill. "I believe this is right to do, I agree with him that there has to be protection for our children, and especially when we're talking about giving parents back the power, this gives parents back this power."
Rep. Rayner-Goolsby added that her measure has received a "positive outlook by leadership" in the Florida Legislature and that it was "consistent with the Governors' prior positions on social media."
"It's consistent with the Governors prior positions on social media, especially as our children are being attacked, Children are being groomed, they are being harmed on social media, and we've got to make sure we are holding folks accountable if they are going to operate in the state of Florida," added Rayner-Goolsby.
State Senator Shevrin Jones (D) echoed this sentiment at the pres conference, calling technology access for kids an opportunity with a, "risk." Senator Jones said, "More than a third of young people report being cyberbullied, and one in five skipping school because of it."
Governor DeSantis has made protecting children a core issue for his second term. One of Florida's most controversial bills as of recently was the Parental Rights in Education Bill, where Florida Republicans took aim at a certain curriculum that arguably endangered children.
Like Goolsby's bill, the Parental Rights in Education bill received wide support with Florida Democrats approving it by 52%.
