What 1,500 Florida children taught us about digital media policy

Florida policymakers, parents and other adults have spoken a lot about the use of digital media among children and how it affects their development and learning. What we hear frequently is what kids have to say.

Lawmakers have been having a lot of conversations lately. On January 1st, a law was enacted prohibiting children under the age of 14 from having social media accounts. The 2023 mission required public schools to block social media on their Wi-Fi networks. This month, a bill banning all mobile screen use in public schools on school days, not just for class hours, but also for school days, carved for children for children, which has been relaxed through the Florida House of Representatives.

Interested in what children think about digital media, we, together with another team of researchers at the University of South Florida, surveyed 1,510 young adolescents (ages 11-13) in Florida as part of a massive life in media research. This longitudinal study will eventually follow thousands of children over decades, tracking media habits and happiness for adults. We asked Florida children about their digital behavior and how their peers behaved.

First: Social Media. Although state law prohibits social media accounts for children under the age of 14, 55% of the 11 and 12-year-olds of our study already had Tiktok accounts. That number jumps to 68% among 13-year-olds. 60% of 13-year-olds report using Instagram, 55% on Snapchat, and 51% have a Facebook or Facebook Messenger account.

It is common to fake your age to join social platforms. One in four of our study admitted to lying about our age to open an account. Among 13-year-olds, that figure is 36%.

They also asked about Wi-Fi restrictions at schools. About four in ten public and charter schools said social media is not blocked by school Wi-Fi, despite Florida law demanding it. However, even if a block is present, it may still be missing teeth. Half of the children in the sample (52%) have smartphones with their own data plans. In other words, school Wi-Fi restrictions will not stop logging on. This has become one of the most digitally connected groups of young adolescents surveyed to date, as around 78% of all children surveyed have their own mobile phones.

Perhaps in response to these loopholes, lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban the use of phones throughout school day. However, enforcing such a policy is not easy. With the lack of thousands of teachers and overcrowded classrooms, many Florida educators are already struggling to monitor their students. Teachers can outweigh the teachers if their children can access their mobile phones during the day.

So, do kids follow school rules regarding telephones? All 64% of the 11-13-year-olds surveyed said yes, but looking at the various demographic variables there is a more subtle story. In private schools, 83% of children say their classmates followed the phone rules, while 64% in public schools and 65% in charter schools. Income made even greater differences. 81% of children in households earning more than $100,000 believed their peers mostly followed the phone rules, while only 45% of children in families under $50,000 say the same thing. Most children say the rules are followed, but differences between home and school environments can affect digital behavior. In fact, only 33% of homeschooled children say their classmates tend to follow phone rules.

Of course, our study included only children between the ages of 11 and 13. Other data suggest that digital habits start early and escalate quickly. According to Common Sense Media’s 2025 Digital Media Use Survey, 58% of children in the US have a mobile phone by the age of four, according to a survey of digital media use among children aged 0 to 8. 23% have a mobile phone by the age of 8.

The best solution could be a one-day phone collection policy where the school maintains student devices until the final bell and exempts health needs.

One of the challenges here is not just the behavior of students, but the concerns of parents. Naturally, many parents want to be able to contact their children in emergencies, especially during shootings at school. But in such circumstances, the phone call can do more harm than good. Ringing phones can put children at risk, and shining screens can hinder important guidance from teachers and other caregivers. Similar points have been created by other researchers, including Jonathan Haidt of NYU, author of the book The Ancient Generation. The balance is tough, but optimal learning and safety may require complete separation from the device during school hours.

Multiple parties are responsible for the use of large quantities of digital media among children – policy makers, parents, teachers, children – may compromise from all parties to address the scale of the challenge.

Dr. Justin D. Martin is the Eleanor Pointer Jamison Chair of Media Ethics and Press Policy, an associate professor at the Department of Journalism and Digital Communications at the University of South Florida, and a life researcher in media research. Contact Martin at justindmartin@usf.edu. Stephen W. Song, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the same department and is a co-investigator of the study.

Data from the survey were collected by Harris’ polls through an online survey of 1,510 11-13 years olds in Florida, December 12th. 9, 2024. The margin of error is +2.9% points.