Don't Let HB3 Ruffle Your Feathers: A Guide to Florida House Bill 3 (HB3)

The average 10-year-old today is much more tech-savvy than the average 50-year-old (not a real stat, but hey, we bet it's true!). Despite their digital fluency, we think it's a good - and essential! - thing that we're seeing an influx of laws and regulations come to fruition to protect minors from online hazards. 

More recently, states like Florida have enacted bills that regulate and prevent minors from using social media– bringing us to Florida's HB3 (House Bill 3). 

Teachers, read on to learn how this bill might impact your classroom.

What is Florida’s HB3 (House Bill 3)?

Florida’s new HB3 (House Bill 3), came into effect March 25, 2024, and provides regulations regarding the use of social media platforms by minors. Florida’s HB3 restricts minors under the age of 14 or 15 from accessing social media without parental consent, mandating platform deletion of underage users' accounts. Additionally, it demands age verification for those under the age of 18 on sites with harmful content. (Source)

Florida HB3 defines "Social Media Platforms" as:

An online forum, website, or application that:

1. Allows users to upload content and view other users content or activity,
2. Has 10% or more of the daily active users under age 16 spend more than 2 hours daily on the platform,
3. Employs algorithms to analyze user activity and display related content,
4. Has a continuous scrolling option,
5. Uses pages without clear page breaks or page ends,
6. Sends push notifications about events or activities about users account,
7. Displays interactive metrics on interactions (i.e # of likes, shares),
8. Has autoplay of videos (does not need to click play, they start automatically), AND
9. Has a live stream function

Florida’s HB3 also applies to platforms that contain a “Substantial Portion” (33.3% or more) of “material harmful to minors”, which is defined as:

Any material that depicts or describes sexual conduct, and when taken as a whole, lacks literary, political or scientific value for minors. 

What does this mean for using Goosechase in the classroom?

At this time, Goosechase cannot be considered a social media platform under the rules of Florida’s HB3 for the following reasons:

1. We do NOT fulfill all the criteria that must be met to be considered a social media platform. 
2. We do NOT have 10% or more of our daily users under 16 spending more than 2 hours daily on our platform,
3. We do NOT employ algorithms to analyze user activity and display related content, 
4. We do NOT employ video autoplay, and
5. We do NOT provide a live stream function. 
6. We also do NOT contain a substantial amount of material that is harmful to minors on our platform. 

Since Goosechase is not considered to be a social media platform and does not contain a substantial amount of material harmful to minors, our flock in Florida is free to soar and continue to thrive with Goosechase!

What is Goosechase EDU?

Goosechase is an online platform that helps educators create and run interactive learning experiences in their classrooms and beyond. Sign up and try creating an Experience, or contact us to learn more about our school and district-wide solutions!