Social media to be banned for children under 18 under filed Texas bill

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A bill to keep children under the age of 18 off of social media has been filed by a Republican lawmaker from North Texas. 

This new bill, State Rep. Jared Patterson’s HB 896, has the potential to require social media users to be 18 years old in order to create a new account. 

Comparing social media to the use of cigarettes by children before 1964, Patterson believes that it is harmful to children. 

Patterson stated, “Once thought to be perfectly safe for users, social media access to minors has led to remarkable rises in self-harm, suicide, and mental health issues.”

Most social media sites and apps such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram don’t need any proof of age but require users to be 13 years old. 

The new bill would force social media sites to require age ID in order to verify account holders’ age. Parents would also be able to request the removal of their child’s account. Social media companies would have a maximum of 10 days to take down the profile. 

In a statement, Greg Sindelar, CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation stated, “The harms social media poses to minors are demonstrable not just in the internal research from the very social media companies that create these addictive products, but in the skyrocketing depression, anxiety, and even suicide rates we are seeing afflict children.”

What do you think?