Texas is on the verge of implementing the most stringent social media ban for minors in the United States, with a new bill making its way through the state legislature.
Gizmodo reports that House Bill 186, authored by Republican state Rep. Jared Patterson, is set to give Texas the strictest social media ban for minors in the nation. The measure, which has already passed the Texas House with bipartisan support, aims to curb what Patterson calls an addictive and “harmful product” that negatively impacts children.
The bill’s inception came about through discussions with multiple committees and parents of young children who expressed concern over the effects of popular social media sites like X, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat on minors. These conversations took place during the last two interims in the state Legislature, which focused on studying the issue of social media and its impact on youth.
Patterson told Fox News, “Learning more about it, we really came to the realization that this is the most harmful product that our kids have access to in terms of its addictive nature.” The proposed legislation would prohibit minors from signing up for social media accounts, require parental consent to download applications, and place warning labels about the dangers of social media.
Under the bill, websites that allow users to create and share content will be considered social media platforms and thus banned for minors. However, websites containing news and sports content will remain accessible to young users.
While Texas is not the first state to impose restrictions on minors’ access to social media, it is poised to become the strictest. Currently, ten states have age restriction laws on social media for minors, with Florida being the only state to ban minors from using social media altogether. However, Florida’s age restriction is set at 14 years old, while Texas’s proposed limit would apply to those under the age of 18.
Patterson acknowledged that the age restriction is not set in stone and may be adjusted as the bill moves through the Senate. “We’ll see what happens with the Senate. When [the bill] left the House, people under the age of 18 will be prohibited from social media. There was broad bipartisan support when the bill left the Texas house,” he said. “The Senate has every right to adjust it to whatever it needs to get out of that body.”
Regardless of any changes made, Patterson emphasized that protecting children remains the top priority and that parents will come to understand the gravity of the situation. “It starts with the understanding that these parents don’t stand a chance against these algorithms,” he said. “It also starts with parents understanding that these apps aren’t for friends sharing information with friends; they are built to harvest data and get people hooked on their products.”
As the bill progresses, Patterson affirmed that Texas will continue to “stand in the gap and protect these kids, even when these social media companies refuse to show up.” He added, “They refuse to answer for the harm they’ve caused, and they don’t even care to answer questions in a public forum about what they’ve done to our kids.”
Read more at Gizmodo here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
