Bill Banning Social Media for Some Teens Advance to NC Senate
Bill Banning Social Media for Some Teens Advance to NC Senate
North Carolina lawmakers advanced a bill Wednesday that would ban social media for some teenagers in the state.
House Bill 301 is a bill that prohibits children under the age of 14 from creating accounts on social media platforms and allows children ages 14 and 15 to create accounts only with parental consent, according to the state’s ACLU.
The bill has already passed the state house, according to local news outlet WRAL.
On April 29, the senate’s education committee will add additional things to the bill before sending it to a Senate Judiciary Committee. Under the new language, the state Board of Education would be required to update computer science standards to teach about the usage of artificial intelligence.
Social media companies and platforms such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram already commonly require account holders to be 13 years old to create accounts.
According to WRAL, state law officials are concerned that younger children will begin creating accounts along with the perceived harms of social media use on youth.
The bill would fine social media companies up to $50,000 for each time a younger teen sets up an account against the law’s orders.
