Latest news with #Bill18
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Texas poised to ban social media for minors in a bold move that could rewrite online childhood
Texas is on the verge of enacting a law that would prohibit individuals under 18 from using social media platforms, sparking debate over mental health protection versus constitutional rights. The bill mandates age verification and account deletion upon parental request, drawing support from parents concerned about their children's exposure to harmful content. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Human impact vs. constitutional rights Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Platforms say they're already changing Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads In what could become the most far-reaching law of its kind in the United States, Texas is close to banning all residents under 18 from joining social media platforms. Supporters call it a bold step to protect kids' mental health. Critics warn it's a dangerous overreach and possibly passed by the state Senate in the coming days, Texas House Bill 18 would make it illegal for minors to hold or create social media accounts. Platforms like TikTok Instagram , and Snapchat would be required to verify users' ages, delete minors' accounts if requested by parents within 10 days, and face fines or lawsuits for noncompliance. The bill has already cleared the Texas House with bipartisan support and is likely headed to Governor Greg Abbott's desk.'Safety and online privacy for Texas children remain a priority,' said Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Gov. Abbott, adding the governor will 'thoughtfully review' the understand the emotional core of this story, look no further than parents like Angela Martinez, a mother in San Antonio, whose 13-year-old daughter secretly joined a platform last year. 'She was scrolling past midnight, getting bombarded with weight-loss videos,' Martinez said. 'She began skipping meals. I felt helpless.'That sense of helplessness is fueling momentum behind legislation in at least 27 states this year. Florida already passed a law barring under-14s from using social media and requiring parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds. A federal judge let that law stand in March, but lawsuits are is growing louder, too — especially from digital rights groups like the ACLU. 'These bills cut off an entire universe of information and conversation from young people,' said Vera Eidelman of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy and Technology Project. 'It's a First Amendment issue.'Tech giants are also mobilizing. Apple CEO Tim Cook personally called Gov. Abbott to object, warning that such laws could compromise user privacy by forcing invasive ID verification. Trade group NetChoice, which represents Meta, Google, and X, calls the bill a 'censorship regime masquerading as an online safety law.' They've vowed to sue if the bill is say the brain's not ready, but neither is the lawPsychologists say something needs to change. 'These are things that don't fit with the adolescent brain like endless scroll and 'like counts,'' said Dr. Mitch Prinstein of the American Psychological Association. But he added: 'An age ban? That's like delaying the age of driving but not having any driver's ed. It just delays the risk, doesn't solve it.'Indeed, the APA has urged Congress to act, but with more tailored reforms, such as stronger design standards and digital literacy education rather than blanket and TikTok say they've implemented features to protect teens, like screen time limits, nighttime nudges, and restricted messaging. But a recent test by The Washington Post found teens still exposed to body image content and dangerous trends on Instagram, despite these analysts believe Texas's law, if passed, will face an immediate constitutional challenge. Similar laws in Arkansas, Ohio, and California were blocked by federal courts on free speech for families on the front lines of America's mental health crisis, the fight isn't legal but deeply personal.'We're not trying to raise kids in a bubble,' Martinez said. 'We just want them to have a chance to grow up without being addicted to a screen.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plastic bottle ban on city properties considered
A ban on the sale of single-use plastic bottles at all city-owned properties is set for an upcoming Honolulu City Council vote. If adopted, Bill 18 would prevent plastic bottles having a capacity of 1 liter or less to be sold or offered for sale after Dec. 31 at any vending machine located at a city facility. The bill exempts the state-run Business Enterprise Program—also known as the licensed Blind Vendor Program—which operates vending facilities at federal, state, county and private properties on Oahu and across Hawaii, offering blind persons gainful employment. Introduced in February by Council Vice Chair Matt Weyer, the measure—similar to Bill 59, which Weyer sponsored in 2024 but that failed to garner a majority Council vote—says 'plastics entering the environment have had a demonstrable adverse effect on the health of the people of the City and County of Honolulu, as well as the environmental integrity of our islands.' 'Single-use plastic containers have been major contributors to pollution on land and in the ocean, harming both marine and other wildlife, and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, ' the bill states. It notes a 'significant portion of marine debris—estimated to be 80 percent—originates on land, primarily as escaped plastic refuse and other human generated urban runoff.' Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. 'Certain single-use plastic containers, such as polyethylene terephthalate bottles, are not fully degradable but instead only degrade into pieces and particles of various sizes, including microplastics, which can ultimately enter human bodies through the food stream and have been linked to serious human health problems, ' the bill states. While the bill says the rate of plastic bottle recovery in Hawaii is about 37 %, the legislation also claims that 'readily available alternatives such as aluminum containers enjoy a recovery rate of 55 percent, and cardboard containers can be readily burned and converted to fuel the city's power needs through the H-POWER plant.' 'The diversion of plastic bottles from the city's waste stream further supports the city's efforts to reduce the annual generation of solid waste, ' the bill states. Still, the American Beverage Association, which previously opposed Bill 59, rejected the latest measure, too. 'The American Beverage Association is the trade association representing the non-alcoholic beverage industry across the country and here in Hawaii, ' ABA Vice President of State Government Affairs West David Thorp said in written testimony to the Council's Housing Committee. 'The beverage industry is an important part of Hawaii's economy—and one of the few remaining industries still manufacturing on the islands.' 'Unlike most consumer products, many of our beverages, aluminum cans and plastic bottles are manufactured and distributed in Hawaii by local workers, ' he said. Nonalcoholic beverage companies in Hawaii provide 1, 200 good-paying jobs across the state, according to Thorp. 'The industry helps to support thousands more workers in businesses that rely in part on beverage sales for their livelihoods, such as grocery stores, restaurants and theaters, ' he said. He said, 'Hawaii beverage companies are taking bold actions to reduce their use of new plastic and make sure their bottles do not end up in nature or wasted in landfills.' 'We are carefully designing our bottles to be 100 % recyclable, even the caps, ' Thorp added. During the April 1 committee meeting, Council members Andria Tupola and Augie Tulba opposed Bill 18 as well. 'I do think that even though it's narrow, we do need to be aware that there's not a law needed for everything, ' said Tupola, 'and we could change our contracts at the city, which might be an even more powerful way to decrease waste, seeing as all of the things we have shipped in are all wrapped in plastic.' She said that within her Council District 1, which spans the Leeward Coast, there are 'people that work in these industries, ' too. And the 'plastic bottles that you're referring to are not single-use, and many of them are recycled, and I hope all of us can continue to support our recycling efforts as we try to decrease landfills on our island, ' she added. Conversely, Council member Tyler Dos Santos-Tam said although some allege Bill 18 will 'be a significant burden to the plastic producers here on this island, ' there were, in fact, few vendor locations that would be affected. He said that according to information he'd gathered from various agencies, including the city Department of Enterprise Services, there are 11 vending machines installed at city parks and only a few others at similar facilities. 'I think it's a total of less than 30, ' he said. 'So, to the extent that this is going to be a burden to the plastic producers, I think that we can tamp that down and just talk about the reality of ' the situation. He added that the measure 'sends a signal that we, the Council, do take these issues seriously.' 'And, to the extent that we can say in our vending machines we'd like to reduce the number of single-use bottles, I think that's a positive signal that we can send, ' Dos Santos-Tam asserted. 'Bill 18 is a very limited, narrow but positive step.' The committee voted 3-2, with Tulba and Tupola dissenting, to recommend the full Council pass Bill 18 on its expected third and final reading April 16.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers approve sweeping approach to internet porn age verification
State Rep. Bethany Soye, R-Sioux Falls, speaks with lawmakers on the South Dakota House floor during the governor's budget address on Dec. 3, 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) PIERRE — More than a dozen states have passed or are considering laws to require porn sites to ask adults who want to visit them for personal information to prove their age. So far, each of them — including Texas, whose law had an audience with the U.S. Supreme Court last month — have applied the rule to sites on which a third or more of the content counts as pornography. South Dakota could soon be the first state to affix the expectation to any site that hosts any pornography in the 'regular course of the website's trade or business.' Legislative committee endorses prosecution of librarians who lend books deemed harmful to children On Wednesday at the state Capitol, the Senate voted 34-0 to send that bill to the desk of Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden. 'It's a huge step forward,' said Sen. Jim Mehlhaff, R-Pierre, a prime sponsor of House Bill 1053. 'It's time to jump on board and protect our children from pornography on the internet.' No senators spoke against the bill on the Senate floor. The Senate Judiciary Committee spent more than an hour hearing testimony on age verification on Tuesday, however. There was broad agreement in the committee room on the need to address the omnipresence of online pornography. 'It used to be years ago that when we went into schools, we only heard the word 'porn' in schools. Then it became middle school,' said Holly Strand, a Rapid City forensic interviewer in child sex crime investigations. 'About five years ago, we had a kindergartner ask us how to handle pornography. It was all downhill from there.' The Senate panel had two options for age verification on its plate Tuesday. Each aimed to force adult sites to ask visitors for something like a credit card or state-issued driver's license to prove they're old enough to be there. Both required the deletion of that data after the visit. Each would let South Dakota's attorney general levy criminal fines against companies that don't comply. One of them, Senate Bill 18, rejected by the committee, follows the model of Texas by targeting sites where one-third of the content is adult material. SD House approves age verification bill; some Democrats raise censorship concerns HB 1053 draws no such line. The House bill came from Rep. Bethany Soye, R-Sioux Falls. On Tuesday, she said the one-third figure was pulled from thin air by Louisiana lawmakers looking to preempt concerns about an overly broad restriction in their age verification legislation. 'Every state just blindly copied them,' said Soye, who is an attorney. 'And I think that we can do better than that.' To her, the one-third standard amounts to an invitation for porn sites to find ways to keep their total adult content just below the line, perhaps at 29.9% pornography. 'You can already see the loophole,' Soye said. The Texas law, which is similar to Louisiana's, had a hearing in the U.S. Supreme Court last month. The justices won't decide themselves if such laws violate the First Amendment. Instead, the high court is poised to decide how strict lower courts must be as they rule on the constitutionality of age verification laws. Attorney General Marty Jackley told the committee his office would support the state in a lawsuit over either bill. 'I believe this is something that should've been addressed by Congress, but in their absence, you have to act,' Jackley said. He'd prefer to defend the Senate version that mirrors Texas, though. So would Doug Abraham. He's the South Dakota lobbyist for The App Association, which bills itself as a trade group for small tech businesses. He said the lack of a standard for how much content needs to be adult material creates 'overbreadth' concerns. Expecting every app or website with potentially pornographic content to ask for personal information from its users is akin to expecting a mall with a liquor store to make sure every visitor is 21, Abraham said. 'You'd be carding everybody who goes into the mall,' he told the committee. No bill will prevent determined children from accessing pornography, many supporters conceded, but the stricter the rules, the better the chances. 'Even if this prevents one child in our state from earlier exposure to porn, this bill is a success,' said Strand, the forensic examiner. Samantha Chapman of the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota voiced concerns about constitutionality. 'All means of age verification that are currently available to us today present substantial risks to anonymous web browsing and internet privacy, which will create a chilling effect on content that is legally available,' Chapman said. South Dakota attorney general tells lawmakers to consider age verification for porn sites There are tools available to parents now, she said. There are other approaches that haven't been tried yet, such as age verification that ties content access to the age of a device's user. Beyond First Amendment concerns with HB 1053's approach, she pointed to worries over the practice of scanning and sharing personal data to access sensitive content. People could intercept the data for use in extortion, she suggested, regardless of a state law's requirement that data be deleted. 'The mere presence of government-issued IDs being scanned and transmitted online, presents risk, the potential for hackers and thieves, and potentially hostile foreign governments to take that data into and to use it,' she said. Chapman testified against both bills, while conceding that SB 18 would be preferable because it would sweep in fewer websites. Sen. David Wheeler, R-Huron, is chair of the Judiciary Committee. He had questions about how broadly HB 1053 would apply, wondering if it could sweep up streaming services like Netflix if the site regularly hosts movies arguably deemed pornographic. After the committee rejected the other bill, he joined other committee members in voting for Soye's bill. 'At this point, since I have no other option, I'm going to support 1053,' Wheeler said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Another meeting and no final budget in Jefferson County
PINE BLUFF, Ark. – A special meeting in Jefferson County was called Saturday night by judge Gerald Robinson, with hopes on making a final decision about their 2025 budget so that the employees could finally receive pay. 'I have already been informed by several justices that they were not going to be in attendance' Robinson said. Only 4 of the 12 justices of the peace attended the meeting, putting halt to a final vote on the budget. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announces plan to restore Jefferson County operations Judge Robinson says he's compromised enough. 'We've made several adjustments in order to try and get this budget passed' Robinson said. He released documents showing thousands of dollars difference between budget cuts originally made versus now in order to meet the JP's halfway, but they still don't agree with the changes. Gov. Sanders introduced Bill 18 that would allow the county to use last year's budget until an agreement was met. Arkansas State Police supporting Jefferson County emergency services amid budget impasse Judge Robinson says that he and they would take a hit financially, but the employees would be back getting paid. 'I think this was an attempt to try to oust me from this position I really do that's my opinion' Robinson said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
