For Immediate Release: Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Contact: Office of Communications, Communications@MyFloridaCFO.com, 850.413.2842

CFO Patronis: The Legislature Must Ban TikTok from K-12 Schools

~Endorses Bills to Ban the Communist-State Owned App~

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced his support for HB 379 and SB 52 by Representative Brad Yeager and Senator Danny Burgess that requires Florida school districts to prohibit and prevent students from accessing social media platforms through the use of internet access provided by each district. Further, the bill calls for in-school instruction on social media safety and how best it can be utilized in personal and professional life.

CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “Children are the future, so I’m not sure why we would ever allow something as addicting and useless as TikTok to be allowed in our K-12 institutions. I call it digital fentanyl because you can see how addicting it is – and it especially targets our children. It fills their minds with rot and robs them of normal healthy social development. So as schools are using more-and-more technology and parents are giving their children smartphones and other devices, Florida schools should take a hard stand that this isn’t an acceptable application to be used on school grounds. I want to thank Representative Yeager and Senator Burgess for spearheading this bill.” 

The CFO’s endorsement of HB 379 and SB 52 comes on the heels of a discussion by the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) proposing to ban TikTok from higher education institutions in Florida. At a January meeting of the BOG, governors Alan Levine and Tim Cerio discussed how the platform is a privacy risk to both students and sensitive materials at college campuses, as it is a Chinese based company and there is no distinction between companies based in China and the Chinese-Communist Party.

Senator Danny Burgess said, “School is a place for learning, and I will fight to ensure it stays that way. Social media, including platforms like TikTok, are a distraction for our students and present real dangers that they may not be aware of. I’m looking forward to working with the CFO and my colleagues during the upcoming legislative session to protect our students.”

Representative Brad Yeager said, “I am proud to sponsor legislation to educate students on the risks of social media from 6-12 grade. Social media and TikTok in general has proven to be an addicting force in our culture, and access should be forbidden in our schools. A huge thank you to CFO Patronis for supporting this legislation and being such a strong advocate for Florida’s students.”

Under the leadership of CFO Patronis, the Department of Financial Services banned TikTok in 2020.  

###

About CFO Jimmy Patronis

Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis is a statewide elected official and a member of Florida’s Cabinet who oversees the Department of Financial Services. CFO Patronis works each day to fight insurance fraud, support Florida’s firefighters, and ensure the state’s finances are stable to support economic growth in the state. Follow the activities of the Department on Facebook (FLDFS) and Twitter (@FLDFS).