Social Media Bills Advance in 2 States

Arizona and Florida legislators advanced social media bills Tuesday. The Arizona Commerce Committee split 6-4 to clear SB-1106, which would prohibit websites from deplatforming candidates and require them to publish and follow standards for censoring users. The Computer and Communications Industry Association opposed the bill. The bill “may raise constitutional concerns, conflict with federal law, and risk impeding digital services companies in their efforts to restrict inappropriate or harmful content on their platforms,” it said in written testimony Tuesday. Florida’s bill (SB-52) to require social media literacy education cleared the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee in a 19-0 vote. It got bipartisan support at an Education Committee hearing last month (see 2302070042). CCIA, which is suing Florida for a 2021 social media law, supported education-focused measures (see 2303010062).