SAN ANTONIO – A Texas bill is aiming to ban social media for minors.
House Bill 186, introduced by state Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco), would require social media platforms to verify users’ ages and prohibit anyone under 18 from creating an account.
The bill has passed the Texas House and is expected to gain traction in the state Senate before the legislative session ends on June 2.
Patterson’s office compared the bill to past efforts to regulate harmful substances, calling social media “the modern-day cigarette.”
“The representative filed the bill due to continued exposure of harmful content and the overall addictive nature of the platforms,” state Rep. Patterson’s office said in a statement.
For parents like Cecilia Mandjuano, who has children between the ages of 10 and 18, she said her concerns revolve around safety and screen time.
“Literally, kids nowadays are on the phone 24/7,” Mandjuano said, noting that child predators are also a worry.
Others, like Rosa Garcia, a grandmother and legal guardian, worry about the explicit content younger users could see.
“There’s a lot of fears — one mainly sexual — because there is a lot of sexual content on there,” Garcia said. “Just one tap, and it’s open.”
Critics of the bill argue it infringes on parental rights and could limit children’s access to information and online communities. Some digital rights groups have voiced concerns that mandatory age verification could raise privacy issues and set a precedent for government regulation of online speech.
Still, Patterson and supporters argue the measure is necessary to protect children’s mental health and safety in an increasingly digital world.
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