Texas lawmakers advancing bill to ban kids from social media

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A bill that would ban social media for minors, among other sweeping measures, has gained traction in the Texas Legislature, as lawmakers prepare to take a tougher stance on online safety.

Lawmakers have suggested several initiatives this session to address the online dangers affecting Texas children, but among those progressing through the lower chamber include House Bill 186 filed by Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco. It would prohibit minors from creating accounts on social media sites and require age verification for new users. In addition to restrictions on access, the bill would grant parents the right to request the deletion of their child’s social media account, and a company must comply within 10 days.

“This legislation will allow today’s kids to be kids again,” Patterson told lawmakers on Tuesday, calling this bill "one of the most important pieces of legislation” he has carried.

Patterson’s bill passed the House on Tuesday with 116 votes, the same day as lawmakers passed House Bill 499, by Rep. Mary González, D-Clint, which would require social media platforms to have a warning label concerning the association between a minor’s social media usage and significant mental health issues.

“We do know warning labels have an effect,” Gonzalez told lawmakers on Monday, citing the warning label on cigarettes. “We are using the same concept for social media.”

Both of these bills are expected to receive support from the more conservative Senate, meaning new rules on social media platforms like TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram might be implemented later this year or early next year. If these bills become law, it is expected to face lawsuits from tech companies, who have consistently challenged government mandates on the industry, saying it’s unconstitutional under the First Amendment free speech right.

House Bill 4456, which would require social media platforms to verify the age of account holders, and House Bill 4338, which would require social media platforms to create and maintain third-party safety software to manage online interactions for children, are still pending in committees.

These bills are part of a larger effort that Texas and other states have undertaken over the past few years to mitigate the harmful effects of social media.

“The harms we are seeing in today’s children will only be exacerbated if steps are not taken,” Patterson said.

Studies show that 95% of youth aged 13 to 17 report using social media, with more than a third stating they use social media “almost constantly.”

Nearly 40% of children aged 8 to 12 use social media, despite most platforms requiring a minimum age of 13 to sign up, according to a study by the U.S. Surgeon General.

This has created a generation of chronically online children, and the medical community is still unsure of their long-term effects.

Two years ago, the American Federation of Teachers and the American Psychological Association, among other national organizations, called out social media platforms for undermining classroom learning, increasing costs for school systems, and being a “root cause” of the nationwide youth mental health crisis. The admonishment came after a report detailed how school districts across the country are experiencing significant burdens as they respond to tech’s predatory and prevalent influence in the classroom.

The same year, in an attempt to hold social media companies more accountable, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law House Bill 18, known as the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act. The SCOPE Act requires covered digital service providers to provide minors with certain data protections, prevent minors from accessing harmful content, and give parents tools to manage their child’s use of the service.

It also required school districts to obtain parental consent for most software and social media applications used in the classroom and to look for alternatives to the internet for instruction.

For 24/7 mental health support in English or Spanish, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s free help line at 800-662-4357. You can also reach a trained crisis counselor through the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

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