A bill making its way through the Texas Legislature would ban minors from accessing popular social media apps and websites in an effort to curb what a lawmaker says is an addictive and “harmful product.”
Republican state Rep. Jared Patterson’s measure, House Bill 186, passed the Texas House with bipartisan support last month and appears poised to be pushed through by the state Senate en route to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.
In an interview with Fox News Digital on Monday, Patterson said the bill came about by speaking with multiple committees and with parents who have young kids about the effect that popular social media sites like X, TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat have on children.
These committees and conversations came during the last two interims in the state Legislature that studied the issue of social media and minors.
“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,” Patterson said.
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Bill 186 would ban minors from signing up for accounts on social media, require parental consent to download applications, and place warning labels about the dangers of social media.
Websites that allow users to create content and share it will be considered a social media platform and thus be banned from minors.
However, websites containing news and sports will be accessible for minors.
While Texas isn’t the first state to put some restrictions on minors’ access to social media platforms, it right now would be the strictest.
As of June 2024, there are 10 states that have age restriction laws on social media for minors, according to the Age Verification Providers Association.
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Currently, only Florida has laws banning minors from using social media, but its laws are not as strict as the proposed Texas Bill 186.
Florida’s age restriction is currently 14 years old, while Texas’s proposed limit would be for those under the age of 18.
However, Patterson said the age restriction isn’t set in stone.
“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,” Patterson said. “[The Senate has] every right to adjust it to whatever it needs to get out of that body.”
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Regardless of what changes are made, Patterson said he still feels strongly that protecting children is the No. 1 priority and that parents will realize just what exactly is happening.
“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.”
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Patterson said Texas will continue to “stand in the gap and protect these kids, even when these social media companies refuse to show up.
“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.”
