The Florida Senate
BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
(This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.)
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Education
BILL: SB 480
INTRODUCER: Senator Burgess
SUBJECT: Required Instruction in Public Schools
DATE: November 29, 2021
ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION
1. Jahnke Bouck ED Favorable
2. AED
3. AP
I. Summary:
SB 480 requires public schools to provide instruction on social media literacy, and defines
“social media” as a form of interactive electronic communication through an Internet website or
application by which a user creates a service-specific identifying profile to connect with other
users for the purpose of communicating and sharing information. Additionally, the bill requires
district school boards to make social media literacy instructional material available online.
The bill has no impact on state revenues or expenditures. The bill may have a fiscal impact to
school districts. See section V.
This bill is effective July 1, 2022.
II. Present Situation:
Impacts of Social Media
Social media plays an integral role in today’s culture. Surveys show that ninety percent of teens
ages 13-17 have used social media.
1
Seventy-five percent of teenagers report having at least one
active social media profile by age 17 and over two-thirds of teens have their own mobile devices
with internet capabilities.
2
There are benefits and potentials risks when using social media.
3
1
University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Teens and social media: When is it too much? (January 2019),
https://med.unr.edu/news/archive/2019/coppes-teens-and-social-media, (last visited Nov. 19, 2021).
2
Id.
3
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Social Media and Teens (March 2018),
https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Social-Media-and-Teens-100.aspx,
(last visited Nov. 19, 2021).
REVISED: BILL: SB 480 Page 2
Potential benefits of social media include:
Staying connected to friends.
Meeting new friends with shared interests.
Finding community and support for specific activities.
Sharing art work or music.
Exploring and expressing themselves.
Potential risks of social media include:
Exposure to harmful or inappropriate content.
Exposure to dangerous people.
Cyberbullying.
Oversharing personal information.
Exposure to excessive advertisements.
Privacy concerns including the collection of data about teen users.
Identity theft or being hacked.
Interference with sleep, exercise, homework, or family activities.
Required Instruction in Schools
The mission of Florida’s K-20 education system is to allow its students to increase their
proficiency by allowing them the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills through
rigorous and relevant learning opportunities.
4
Each district school board must provide
appropriate instruction to ensure that students meet State Board of Education (SBE) adopted
standards in the following subject areas: reading and other language arts, mathematics, science,
social studies, foreign languages, health and physical education, and the arts.
5
Instructional staff of public schools,
6
subject to the rules of the SBE and the district school board,
must provide instruction in:
7
The history and content of the Declaration of Independence.
The history, meaning, significance, and effect of the provisions of the Constitution of the
United States.
The arguments in support of adopting our republican form of government.
Flag education, including proper flag display and flag salute.
The elements of civil government.
The history of the United States.
The history of the Holocaust.
The history of African Americans.
The elementary principles of agriculture.
The effects of alcoholic and intoxicating liquors and beverages and narcotics.
Kindness to animals.
4
Section 1000.03(4), F.S.
5
In 2020, the SBE adopted new standards for English language arts and mathematics, called the Benchmarks for Excellent
Student Thinking (BEST) standards. The English language arts standards implementation began with the 2021-2022 school
year and implementation of the math standards begin in the 2022-2023 school year. Section 1003.42(1), F.S.
6
Instructional staff of charter schools are exempt from this section of law. Section 1002.33(16), F.S.
7
Section 1003.42(2), F.S. BILL: SB 480 Page 3
The history of the state.
The conservation of natural resources.
Comprehensive health education.
The study of Hispanic contributions to the United States.
The study of women’s contributions to the United States.
The nature and importance of free enterprise to the United States economy.
A character-development program in kindergarten through grade 12.
The sacrifices that veterans and Medal of Honor recipients have made serving the country.
Social Media Instruction in Schools
Students are not required to receive instruction on social media. However, there is an
instructional model for a social media course
8
available in CPALMS.
9
The purpose of the social
media course is to enable students to develop fundamental skills in the use of social media across
print, multimedia, web, and broadcast platforms, including ethical and legal uses.
The content should include, but not be limited to, the following:
Demonstrating entry-level skills in digital communication and packaging them across the
platforms/mediums of print, multimedia, online, and broadcast;
Demonstrating fundamental skills in social media platforms and their uses; expressing social
connections with maturity and complexity appropriate to writer, audience, purpose, and
context;
Using fundamental research skills and networking formats;
Collaborating amongst peers; and
Using effective listening, speaking, and viewing strategies with emphasis on the use of
evidence to support or refute a claim in multimedia presentations, class discussions, and
extended text discussions.
III. Effect of Proposed Changes:
The bill amends s. 1003.42, F.S. to require instructional staff of public schools to provide
instruction on social media literacy.
The bill defines “social media” as a form of interactive electronic communication through an
Internet website or application by which a user creates a service-specific identifying profile to
connect with other users of the Internet website or application for the purpose of communicating
and sharing information, ideas, news, stories, opinions, images, and other content.
Requiring instruction on social media literacy could provide students with a better understanding
of the benefits and risks of communicating and sharing information on social media platforms.
8
CPALMS, Course, Social Media 1 (#1006375), https://www.cpalms.org/PreviewCourse/Preview/17758, (last visited Nov.
19, 2021).
9
CPALMS is the State of Florida’s official source for standards information and course descriptions. It provides access to
thousands of standards-aligned, free, and high-quality instructional/educational resources that have been developed
specifically for the standards and vetted through a rigorous review process. CPALMS, About CPALMS,
http://www.cpalms.org/CPALMS/about_us.aspx, (last visited Nov. 19, 2021).
BILL: SB 480 Page 4
Additionally, the bill requires district school boards to make social media literacy instructional
material available online and to notify parent of the material’s online availability.
This bill is effective July 1, 2022.
IV. Constitutional Issues:
A. Municipality/County Mandates Restrictions:
None.
B. Public Records/Open Meetings Issues:
None.
C. Trust Funds Restrictions:
None.
D. State Tax or Fee Increases:
None.
E. Other Constitutional Issues:
None.
V. Fiscal Impact Statement:
A. Tax/Fee Issues:
None.
B. Private Sector Impact:
None.
C. Government Sector Impact:
For those school districts that do not already provide social media literacy instruction,
there may be a cost associated with including this instruction in the required curriculum.
VI. Technical Deficiencies:
None.
VII. Related Issues:
None. BILL: SB 480 Page 5
VIII. Statutes Affected:
This bill substantially amends section 1003.42 of the Florida Statutes.
IX. Additional Information:
A. Committee Substitute – Statement of Changes:
(Summarizing differences between the Committee Substitute and the prior version of the bill.)
None.
B. Amendments:
None.
This Senate Bill Analysis does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill’s introducer or the Florida Senate.