Texas House passes bill banning minors from creating social media accounts
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Texas is setting itself up to be a leader in regulating the social media sphere.
Today, the Texas House passed a bill 116-25 that would prohibit children from using social media. House Bill 186 requires a strict verification process to ensure account holders are at least 18 years old.
'I firmly believe that social media is the most harmful product that our kids have legal access to in Texas,' said Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, the bill's author.
Patterson said HB 186 is the most important one he will lay out this session, citing rising rates of self-harm and suicide amongst minors linked to social media use.
Patterson previously cited a study conducted by the Center for Countering Digital Hate in 2022. Researchers created a social media account posing as a 13-year-old user, and interacted with content related to body image and mental health issues. Within 2.6 minutes, content related to suicide was recommended. Within eight minutes, content related to eating disorders was shown.
READ MORE: Education commissioner calls for cellphone ban in Texas schools
'ER visits are up, anorexia amongst girls are up, pornography addiction and aggression amongst boys up,' said Patterson. 'It is our kids killing themselves at a clip that we've never seen before in the history of the state of Texas, and it's all correlated back to this rapid rise in social media use for young people.'
Right before the vote, Patterson dedicated his bill to those who took their own lives after dealing with social media addiction.
'In honor of David Molak and the countless other children who have lost their lives due to the harms of social media,' Patterson said.
Maurine Molak, David's mother, has spent the last nine years advocating nationally and in Texas for stricter reforms.
'I lost my son David to suicide nine years ago after he was cyber bullied for months by a group of students on Instagram that were tormenting him,' Molak said. 'I was very moved at [Patterson's] thoughtfulness in remembering David and the pain that David went through.'
Some opponents of the bill feel the verification process will give social media companies too much information.
'What about the concern that this is helping these social media companies collect even more data on us,' State Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Driftwood, asked Patterson.
Patterson said he's concerned about even more data being collected for minors who use social media. He warned that harvesting data from young users is a privacy concern, and is used for targeted advertising and exploitative purposes.
'Social media companies know more about you than you know about yourself,' Patterson said. 'Their business is not in connecting people so that they can chat and share cat memes. Their business is data collection.'
HB 186 requires that any personal information obtained for verification must be deleted immediately after the process.
Others voiced concerns about the rights of children.
'We believe this law is clearly unconstitutional,' attorney Brian Klosterboer with the Texas branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said. 'HB 186 would ban all social media use by anyone under the age of 18, even if someone's parent or guardian wants them to be able to use social media. For example, a lot of young people might be in youth groups or clubs or organizations that connect on social media. They might use social media for research, even to access, maybe tweets from government officials or academic researchers. All of that would be banned under this bill.'
However, Patterson believes social media is too harmful to not regulate.
'The U.S. Surgeon General came out in 2024 [and] compared this to cigarettes, the addictive nature of these products,' he said. 'So it's something that I'm going to continue to fight until we finally get something done on this issue.'
In addition, the bill would empower Texas's attorney general to hold social media platforms accountable if they allow underage users. It also grants parents the right to request the removal of their child's existing social media account by contacting the platform directly. Upon receiving the request, the platform must delete the account within 10 days.
Last session, the legislature passed a bill banning minors from viewing explicit or pornographic content online, enacting a similar age verification process. It also held commercial entities liable if they failed to perform age verification. Patterson believes that banning sites with primarily explicit content is not enough to protect their mental health.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Here's How Elon Musk's Daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson Reacted To Her Dad's Fallout With President Trump
Vivian Jenna Wilson shared her thoughts on the viral feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. It only took a few minutes for Tesla CEO's daughter to chime in after her dad dropped a now-deleted bombshell accusation against Trump, alleging the president's name was in the FBI files on Jeffrey Epstein. If you didn't know, Elon's 21-year-old daughter has been estranged from her father since coming out as trans, but she's remained a vocal critic of her father's actions and involvement in politics. "I mean, I'll see things about him in the news and think, That's fucking cringe, I should probably post about this and denounce it, which I have done a few times," Vivan told Teen Vogue back in March. Well, now that her dad and the president are trending for their big fallout, it's no surprise Vivian would find a way to address it. A quick recap: On Jun. 4, Elon voiced his opposition to Trump's "One Big, Beautiful Bill," which didn't go over well with the president. Speaking with reporters, Trump responded, "I'm very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody. He had no problem with it. All of the sudden he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out we're gonna have to the cut EV mandate... He hasn't said bad about me personally, but I'm sure that'll be next. But I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot." Related: "We Don't Import Food": 31 Americans Who Are Just So, So Confused About Tariffs And US Trade Elon fired back with X posts on Jun. 5, claiming the president "would have lost the election," and Trump's response is a sign of "ingratitude." Then, when Trump threatened to "terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts," Elon dropped his "really big bomb" of an X post, which has since been removed. Elon's now-deleted X post read, "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" Related: AOC's Viral Response About A Potential Presidential Run Has Everyone Watching, And I'm Honestly Living For It Although Elon has since removed the X post claiming the president's name was in the Epstein files, the claim went viral, so of course, his daughter, who's been critical of her billionaire father in the past, had to post about it. Vivian posted a video of herself with the caption, "I love being proven right." In the video, she says, "I do not want to comment," before laughing on camera. @vivllainous / Instagram: @vivllainous Vivian also posted an Instagram Story of her Threads post, which read, "Such beauty in life," with Chase Icon's "Job Application" playing in the background. If it wasn't obvious that Vivian was throwing a little shade at Elon and President Trump's online feud, people in the comments sure as heck made it clear. "I love that everyone knows EXACTLY what you're talking about with just 4 words. I fucking L O V E I T," one person wrote. Another person said Vivian was "the best at giving shade without naming anyone." People were really celebrating with Vivian in the replies. Finally, somebody wrote, "I really hope you're taking this day to put your feet up with a glass of wine. You've endured so much shit -this must feel glorious." Whew. What a week! Also in In the News: People Can't Believe This "Disgusting" Donald Trump Jr. Post About Joe Biden's Cancer Diagnosis Is Real Also in In the News: Republicans Are Calling Tim Walz "Tampon Tim," And The Backlash From Women Is Too Good Not To Share Also in In the News: JD Vance Shared The Most Bizarre Tweet Of Him Serving "Food" As Donald Trump's Housewife
New York Post
8 hours ago
- New York Post
‘Harmful' TikTok trend fueling new wave of ‘dangerous' diet culture
TikTok has long been a breeding ground for viral trends, but its latest subculture, 'SkinnyTok,' is reigniting old diet culture in a digital age. Behind the trendy filters and catchy sounds lies an extremely problematic reality – a community where thinness is idolised, extreme calorie deficits are glamorised, and the pursuit of a shrinking body is celebrated, often at the expense of mental and physical health. The rise of SkinnyTok Advertisement SkinnyTok refers to a corner of the internet where creators openly document their weight loss journeys, post 'what I eat in a day' videos featuring alarmingly low calorie counts, and share 'body checks' (videos where people weigh and measure themselves). Some even boast about 'gaslighting' themselves into being skinny, or confess to daily gym visits out of a fear of being 'fat' – even when they already fit society's narrow beauty standards. TikTok has, for its part, attempted to clamp down on this content. 5 TikTok has long been a breeding ground for viral trends, but its latest subculture, 'SkinnyTok,' is reigniting old diet culture in a digital age. Volodymyr – Advertisement Searching for 'SkinnyTok' now triggers a warning: 'You're not alone' and prompts people to seek help if they're struggling with body image, food, or exercise. Influencers like Liv Schmidt, who built a following of over 670,000 with her 'blonde and skinny' persona, have been banned. Yet, the algorithm still seems to serve up the very content it claims to protect users from. So, what can people do to safeguard themselves online? Advertisement First, you need to understand what SkinnyTok is, how the trend has managed to gain such a huge following, and who is most at risk. 5 Searching for 'SkinnyTok' now triggers a warning: 'You're not alone' and prompts people to seek help if they're struggling with body image, food, or exercise. Odua Images – The personal toll Jemma Haythorne, a confidence coach, speaker, and podcaster, knows firsthand the damage that online diet culture can do. 'I started hating my body when I was 12 years old, but really spiralled into disordered eating when I was 16. My friends and I would follow skinny content on Tumblr, using it as 'motivation' to eat less to achieve our goals of being thin,' she tells Advertisement For Haythorne, the pressure peaked during Schoolies, when the prospect of hundreds of Facebook photos led her to subsist on scarily low calories and avoid water to prevent 'bloating' – all ideas she picked up from social media. 'Instagram then became a dangerous place too for someone with body image issues and a fraught relationship with food,' she says, adding that the rise of fitness influencers and 'clean eating' trends was fuel for her already disordered behaviors. Her lowest point came between 2017 and 2019. 'Social media told me that everyone was thin, gorgeous, tanned, hairless, toned, and successful, because that's what the algorithm was serving me, and those were the people who were platformed,' she says. 'The message that I received was that I was failing, because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't meet those standards.' Haythorne believes that without social media, she would never have developed an eating disorder, depression, and anxiety to the extent she did. The cyclical nature of online trends She says she has witnessed body ideals shift over the years, from ultra-thin, to athletic and toned, to the 'Kim Kardashian' hourglass, and now back to just 'plain thin.' Advertisement Despite the rise of the body positivity movement, she's sceptical about its real-world impact: 'The body ideal has always come back to being in a smaller body — something that I desperately hope we can change in the future.' The influencer effect Influencers and content creators play a massive role in shaping body image perceptions, Haythorne argues. 5 Psychologist Carly Dober confirms that SkinnyTok can trigger and exacerbate disordered eating behaviors and eating disorders. Kate – 'Those who post content that encourages unhealthy relationships with food and bodies are directly damaging their audience. SkinnyTok content is incredibly problematic and harmful, and when this becomes trendy, it becomes dangerous, especially for those who don't have the knowledge and understanding of how damaging it is.' Advertisement But the damage isn't always obvious. Seemingly innocuous 'before and after' photos reinforce the idea that smaller is better, while meal inspiration videos suggest that copying someone's diet will yield the same body. 'Any form of editing of bodies or faces makes people think they need to live up to looking like that in order to be beautiful or worthy, yet the person themselves doesn't even look like that,' she notes. She claims that while platforms like TikTok and Instagram have a responsibility to manage the harm they promote, individual influencers must also be aware of their impact. The psychological impact Advertisement Psychologist Carly Dober confirms that SkinnyTok can trigger and exacerbate disordered eating behaviors and eating disorders. 'These trends influence how people perceive and evaluate their own bodies, and the bodies of others. Behaviorally, people may self-isolate, which can also impact their work, education, and relationships,' she explains. Beyond the psychological impact, the physical consequences are dire too. Eating disorders can harm the heart, digestive system, bones, teeth, and mouth. Advertisement Typical serious side effects include low blood pressure, slow or irregular heartbeats, feeling tired, weak, dizzy, or faint, constipation and bloating, irregular periods, and weak bones. Who's most at risk? According to Dober, certain groups are especially vulnerable to the dangers of SkinnyTok. These include: – Adolescents (especially those aged 12–25) with a median age of 18 – Women during key transition periods (e.g. finishing school) 5 'SkinnyTok content is incredibly problematic and harmful, and when this becomes trendy, it becomes dangerous, especially for those who don't have the knowledge and understanding of how damaging it is,' experts said. LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS – – Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or diabetes – Athletes and those in appearance-focused activities like dancing – People with a family history of eating disorders – Anyone seeking help for weight loss or who has engaged in dieting or disordered eating The role of TikTok's culture Qualified nutritionist Yaz Jackson sees SkinnyTok as part of a broader trend of 'normalizing' harmful behaviors on TikTok. She notes that TikTok's culture is different from Instagram's: 'You can 'get away' with more. It's more of a diary, people feel like they can say whatever, and it's lighthearted, and nobody judges. I've seen creators say things like 'I could never share this on Insta, they'd judge me, but I can tell you guys,'' Jackson believes there's a trend of radical honesty emerging on TikTok, where creators are praised for sharing 'the tea' – the secrets behind their appearance, whether it's the use of medication, diets, or cosmetic surgery. Their content is being favoured, as people applaud them for being 'real' and 'not fake' – i.e., unlike the countless models and celebrities who pretend they eat pizza and burgers when the reality is much different. 'This trend then gains traction because when enough people make something okay to talk about again, they feel safer,' she said. 'Things that were once stigmatized are now being accepted – but only if you are super honest and transparent about it. People love that.' The dangers of unqualified advice Dr. Zac, a GP, urges people to exercise caution when seeking health advice online, especially when it comes from unqualified creators. 'Health advice should come from qualified professionals – doctors, registered dietitians, clinical psychologists – people with actual credentials, not just abs and a ring light. If someone's offering drastic weight loss 'hacks' or pushing extreme transformations, especially if they're profiting from it, be wary,' he says. Things to look out for include: 'Are they citing evidence-based sources? Do they promote balance over extremes? Are they championing sustainable health, or quick fixes and aesthetic perfection?' How to safeguard your mental health Dober and Zac recommend several strategies for protecting yourself online: Curate your feed: Block or mute content and creators that promote unhealthy behaviors 5 SkinnyTok refers to a corner of the internet where creators openly document their weight loss journeys, post 'what I eat in a day' videos featuring alarmingly low calorie counts, and share 'body checks.' Floral Deco – Use platform tools: Filter out triggering keywords where possible Limit screen time: Reduce endless scrolling to avoid algorithm rabbit holes Follow positive accounts: Such as ones that promote body neutrality, mental health, and self-compassion Seek support: If you're struggling, reach out to a psychologist or trusted professional. And as Zac puts it: 'Healing starts when we stop punishing ourselves and start listening to what our body and mind actually need.'
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Failed Muni Bond Draws FBI and Sparks `Ponzi-Like Fraud' Claims
(Bloomberg) -- Before the lawsuits started piling up in courtrooms across Connecticut, before his employer accused him of running a 'massive Ponzi-like fraud,' and before the FBI showed up, Robert Cappelletti looked well on his way to pulling off one of the greatest muni-bond coups of all time. Next Stop: Rancho Cucamonga! Where Public Transit Systems Are Bouncing Back Around the World ICE Moves to DNA-Test Families Targeted for Deportation with New Contract US Housing Agency Vulnerable to Fraud After DOGE Cuts, Documents Warn Trump Said He Fired the National Portrait Gallery Director. She's Still There. The plan Cappelletti had put together was so audacious it bordered on the fantastical. The housing agency he ran in Groton, a sleepy town of some 40,000 people along Connecticut's Thames River, would sell $750 million of bonds to jumpstart a $4 billion project to transform a bunch of run-down shopping plazas into a sprawling, up-scale development. There'd be a new train station, a hospital, almost 2,000 apartments and dozens of shops and restaurants. It would have been the biggest local bond issue in the state's history and expanded the tiny Groton agency far beyond its role managing two apartment complexes. And yet Cappelletti — a part-time employee with a mixed record running other housing agencies in the state — breezed through a series of crucial steps needed to complete the sale. He got approval from the five-person board that runs the agency; crafted a brief financial projections statement; scored an investment-grade bond rating; and started the process of lining up buyers for the debt. It was only when the bond sale collapsed this winter and Cappelletti was removed from office that the complex financial web that he had spun across Connecticut for years came to light. Cappelletti engaged in double-dealing, created shell companies and failed to disclose loans he took out, leaving, in the process, a trail of financial wreckage across the state, lawyers for the Groton agency alleged in the most high-profile case against him. In February, they sued Cappelletti for fraud, claiming he borrowed at least $3 million without the commission's knowledge through subsidiaries he controlled. In subsequent court documents, the authority alleged Cappelletti also took 'millions of dollars' from non-commercial lenders and other 'questionable entities' that were then transferred to others, including businesses owned by his brother, David, that received about $1 million. The housing authority's attorneys are working with the FBI, which is investigating, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters. 'Everybody is disgusted,' said Ric Silver, who lives in an apartment in Pequot Village, a 104-unit complex managed by the authority. Cappelletti declined to comment through his attorney, Joseph Martini, who also declined to comment. Cappelletti's brother, David, who was named as a co-defendant in the suit last month, also declined to comment. On June 2, in court papers filed in connection with the Groton case, Ivan Ladd-Smith, another lawyer for Cappelletti, said he intends to deny the allegations. A press official for the FBI declined to comment. Robert Frink, the chair of the Groton Housing Authority, said the board has opened an investigation but is 'unable to go into greater detail at this time.' That Cappelletti drew so little scrutiny as he pushed ahead with the deal is a testament to the vulnerabilities in the vast network of government agencies struggling to provide affordable housing to low-income families across America. To finance new projects and try to address the housing crisis, the local agencies routinely sell municipal bonds, a loosely regulated corner of the securities market where deals are often just rubber-stamped. Many of the agencies have been plagued by mismanagement, poor oversight and corruption. Since 2023, prosecutors have brought bribery and fraud charges against housing authority officials in Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Montana and New York, where 70 former and current New York City Housing Authority officials were ensnared in a historic case. In Connecticut, the events in Groton are drawing fresh scrutiny to the more than 100 independent housing agencies across the state, which only has enough affordable rental homes to meet the needs of about one-third of the lowest-income households. 'Until we fix the regulatory disconnect,' said Robert Boris, chair of Groton's economic development commission, 'bad actors will continue to exploit it and working families will continue to the pay the price.' Cappelletti, 58, has worked in public housing for two decades. A graduate of Assumption University, a Catholic school in Worcester, Massachusetts, he joined the housing authority in Stamford, Connecticut, in 2002 to run the city's Section 8 voucher program, according to his LinkedIn profile. In 2009, he became the executive director for the Meriden Housing Authority and five years later tacked on a similar part-time job for the Waterbury Housing Authority. Just before starting at Groton in 2016, he left the post in Waterbury. There, an investigation found he had used $56,653 of public funds to buy a Chevrolet Silverado for business and personal use even though he wasn't entitled to a vehicle, had slid someone onto the payroll without the agency's approval and allowed a contractor to live rent-free in an apartment managed by the agency in exchange for painting work. Cappelletti and Waterbury reached a separation agreement that included no admission of wrongdoing. The Groton job was a relatively modest one — mostly the oversight of 174 rental units — that Cappelletti could do while still running the agency in Meriden some 50 miles away. Cappelletti, though, envisioned much bigger things for Groton. A manufacturing hub just off the Long Island Sound, best known for its naval base, General Dynamics Corp.'s submarine factory and the sprawling research facility for the drugmaker Pfizer Inc., the town had a relatively strong economy. But that had left it with a shortage of affordable housing, and its main commercial corridor was lined with aging, strip-style retail. Cappelletti called his development project Groton 2030. It'd reserve 20% of the 1,925 apartments for lower-income residents, a key selling point to the authority's board, which approved the project in June 2023. Per the plan, Cappelletti would oversee the project himself through a development arm of the housing authority instead of hiring an experienced developer or soliciting bids. One of the housing agency commissioners who signed off on the plan, Joe Greene, soon had regrets. In an interview, Greene said he had reluctantly approved the bond during a last-minute video call but had doubts after asking for details. Cappelletti never presented a real business plan, Greene said, and the town had not received formal notice that one of its agencies was planning a massive bond sale. At odds with the rest of the board, Greene resigned that September. Two years later, he remains mystified by it all. 'I still don't know how you're going to pay off a $750 million bond in a five-year timespan when you don't own the property and when there was no business plan,' he said. 'People were amazed at the amount of money.' With the approval in hand, Cappelletti put the deal in motion. He had the Groton authority pay $25,000 to a New Jersey-based investment banker, according to a check register obtained under a freedom of information request. The authority also hired Connecticut law firm Pullman & Comley as bond counsel and obtained an 'A' rating from Egan-Jones based on a few financial projections it turned & Comley declined to comment. Eric Mandelbaum, general counsel for Egan-Jones, said the firm can't comment on particular transactions but 'stands behind its work and record, which are based on methodologies that are publicly available.' Related Story: A New Ratings Game: 3,000 Deals, 20 Analysts, Lots of Questions The sale bogged down after that. Month after month, its completion kept getting delayed. Then, in May 2024, it all started to unravel on Cappelletti when the Groton commissioners received subpoenas ordering them to travel across the state to provide sworn testimony. Months earlier, a lawsuit had been filed against Cappelletti's Meriden Housing Authority and a subsidiary, Maynard Road Corp., that had defaulted on a $16 million loan. The lender, Titan Capital, subpoenaed the Groton commissioners because Cappelletti had made $629,000 of loan repayments with funds pulled from their agency, not Meriden's. The Meriden agency is now on the hook for about $30 million — to repay the Titan loan with interest as well as $12.5 million owed to Citizens Bank for a project in Bristol, Connecticut. Back in a September 2023 board meeting, the Groton commissioners had asked Capelletti about the cash used to pay off Titan, which was recorded as an expense for the Groton 2030 project. They were assured they'd be reimbursed when the bond deal closed, minutes of the meeting show. But the Meriden lawsuit raised new questions, and when Groton commissioners started digging, they found that companies controlled by Cappelletti had bought properties in Winchester, Connecticut, and Fitchburg, Massachusetts to redevelop. Cappelletti also allegedly forged a resolution to approve $2.7 million of lease agreements for the authority, according to the February lawsuit filed by the Groton agency. 'This case involves the discovery of a massive Ponzi-like fraud,' lawyers for the agency said in a court filing. 'Over the course of at least seven years, Cappelletti accepted millions of dollars in funds from non-commercial lenders or other questionable entities.' In January, the agency suspended Cappelletti and canceled his contract. The FBI probe continues and the lawsuits are wending their way through Connecticut courts. 'Our focus now,' said Frink, the chair of the Groton Housing Authority, 'is to ensure a complete and fulsome investigation.' Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Wants to Donate His Billions—and Walk Again The SEC Pinned Its Hack on a Few Hapless Day Traders. The Full Story Is Far More Troubling Is Elon Musk's Political Capital Spent? Trump Considers Deporting Migrants to Rwanda After the UK Decides Not To What Does Musk-Trump Split Mean for a 'Big, Beautiful Bill'? ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
