Recently, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law to prevent children younger than 14 from having social-media accounts. Florida is not the first state to restrict use of social media by minors. A year ago, Utah passed a law to require parental consent for minors to have social-media accounts and to require that social-media platforms allow parents to see posts and messages by their children.

Supporters of these laws point to the countless, documented ways that social media and digital technologies harm teenagers. On the other side are those concerned that these laws enable government encroachment on personal freedoms and will lead to increased surveillance and intervention by the state. Not to mention, it is parents who should be managing how children use smartphones and social media, not the state.

Parents