A proposed law in Florida that raised concerns about online privacy has now been officially dropped. The bill, called “Social Media Use by Minors,” aimed to place tighter controls on how children use social media. While it was introduced to protect young users, many experts argued it would have done more harm than good — not just for kids, but for all internet users.
One major issue with the bill was its demand for social media platforms to change how they protect users’ messages. Apps like WhatsApp, Signal, iMessage, and Instagram use something called end-to-end encryption. This feature makes messages unreadable to anyone except the person you're talking to. Not even the app itself can access the content.
The bill, however, would have required these platforms to create a special way for authorities to unlock private messages if they had a legal order. But cybersecurity professionals have long said that once such a "backdoor" exists, it can't be safely limited to just the police. Criminals, hackers, or even foreign spies could find and misuse it. Creating a backdoor for some means weakening protection for all.
The bill also included other rules, like banning temporary or disappearing messages for children and letting parents view everything their child does on social media. Critics worried this would put young users at greater risk, especially those needing privacy in situations like abuse or bullying.
Even though the Florida Senate passed the bill, the House of Representatives refused to approve it. On May 3, 2025, the bill was officially removed from further discussion. Digital privacy advocates, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, welcomed this move, calling it a step in the right direction for protecting online privacy.
This isn’t the first time governments have tried and failed to weaken encryption. Similar efforts have been blocked in other parts of the world, like France and the European Union, for the same reason: once secure messaging is weakened, it puts everyone at risk.
For now, users in Florida can breathe a sigh of relief. The bill’s failure shows growing recognition of how vital strong encryption is in keeping our personal information safe online.
