Florida Senate - 2023                               CS for SB 52
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Education Pre-K -12; and Senators Burgess,
       Osgood, Avila, and Calatayud
       
       
       
       
       581-02014-23                                            202352c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to student use of social media
    3         platforms; amending s. 1003.42, F.S.; requiring
    4         members of the instructional staff of public schools
    5         to provide instruction on social media safety;
    6         defining the term “social media”; requiring the
    7         Department of Education to make social media safety
    8         instructional material available online; requiring
    9         district school boards to notify parents of the
   10         availability of the instructional material; providing
   11         requirements for the instructional material developed
   12         by the department; defining the term “digital
   13         citizenship”; specifying required components of the
   14         instructional material; creating s. 1006.1494, F.S.;
   15         requiring each school district to prohibit and prevent
   16         students from accessing social media platforms through
   17         the use of Internet access provided by the school
   18         district; providing an effective date.
   19          
   20  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   21  
   22         Section 1. Paragraph (u) is added to subsection (2) of
   23  section 1003.42, Florida Statutes, to read:
   24         1003.42 Required instruction.—
   25         (2) Members of the instructional staff of the public
   26  schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education
   27  and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and
   28  faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the
   29  highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy,
   30  following the prescribed courses of study, and employing
   31  approved methods of instruction, the following:
   32         (u) Social media safety. For purposes of this paragraph,
   33  the term “social media” means a form of interactive electronic
   34  communication through an Internet website or application by
   35  which a user creates a service-specific identifying user profile
   36  to connect with other users of the Internet website or
   37  application for the purpose of communicating and sharing
   38  information, ideas, news, stories, opinions, images, videos, and
   39  other content. The Department of Education shall make social
   40  media safety instructional material available online and
   41  district school boards shall notify parents of the material’s
   42  online availability. The material must include age-appropriate
   43  and developmentally appropriate instruction on social media
   44  safety for students in grades 6 through 12 and focus on the
   45  social, emotional, and physical effects of social media and
   46  promote best practices in digital citizenship. For purposes of
   47  this requirement, “digital citizenship” means the norms of
   48  appropriate, responsible, and healthy behavior related to social
   49  media, including digital literacy, ethics, etiquette, and
   50  security. The social media safety instruction must include:
   51         1. The advantages of social media use. Such instruction may
   52  only include career and resume building for future academic or
   53  employment opportunities, sharing information with familiar
   54  family and friends, and safely connecting with other users with
   55  like interests.
   56         2. The risks of social media, including, but not limited
   57  to, social media addiction, publication of misinformation,
   58  negative effects on mental health, and the permanent nature of
   59  content shared online.
   60         3. How to safely use social media, including, but not
   61  limited to, maintaining personal security, preventing
   62  oversharing of personal information, identifying predatory
   63  behavior and human trafficking, and reporting suspicious
   64  behavior.
   65  
   66  The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards
   67  and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection.
   68  Instructional programming that incorporates the values of the
   69  recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is
   70  offered as part of a social studies, English Language Arts, or
   71  other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness
   72  initiative meets the requirements of paragraph (t).
   73         Section 2. Section 1006.1494, Florida Statutes, is created
   74  to read:
   75         1006.1494 Prohibiting student access to social media
   76  platforms.—Each school district shall prohibit and prevent
   77  students from accessing social media platforms through the use
   78  of Internet access provided by the school district.
   79         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.