Latest news with #HouseBill301
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill restricting teen social media use moves forward in N.C. legislature
A bill in North Carolina that would restrict social media access for some teenagers is on its way to the Senate. House Bill 301 would require 14-year-olds and 15-year-olds to show parental consent to access popular apps like Instagram and TikTok. The bill would also require social media platforms to delete accounts operated by any user younger than 14. HB301 specifies that websites will need to include age verification for users. The proposed law says third-party companies that are used for age verification will be required to keep data anonymous and not retain any information after the age is verified. While the bill has advanced through the House, similar bans in other states have been hard to enforce. HB301 was introduced and sponsored exclusively by Republican representatives, but the bill received wide bipartisan support when it went to a floor vote in the House. (VIDEO: Travelers with no Real ID can fly for now. What to know at Charlotte Douglas)
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Carolina lawmakers discuss bill banning social media for kids under 14
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina lawmakers discussed House Bill 301 Tuesday, which would ban social media accounts for kids under the age of 14 and require parent or guardian consent for 14 and 15-year-olds. 'Predators have access to our kids at unprecedented levels at this time, more than ever in our history,' said state Rep. Jeff Zenger, a sponsor of the bill. 'One of their number one tools is social media. 'As a parent who has fought the battle of screen time with four kids who are now in their 20s, it is a raging battle,' Zenger said. 'The idea would be to put something up that would be a backstop for parents so that they can help regulate this and help kind of stand with this battle.' Another argument for the bill is reducing potential for mental health issues that supporters say comes with social media use among kids. Five other states, including Florida and Texas, already have some type of restrictions on social media usage for teens. Asked about the bill, Raleigh parent Alicia Wenzel said, 'I do know that it does need to be filtered a little more for kids. My daughter's is filtered and she still sees things she's not supposed to see.' At Tuesday's meeting, Reighlah Collins with the ACLU of North Carolina signed up to speak. 'While protecting children online is imperative, this bill would undermine child safety and impose likely unconstitutional restrictions on young people's ability to engage online,' she said. Some recent changes were made to the bill. 'We were talking with the Retail Association,' Zenger said. 'They came to us about online commerce, email, educational videos and all these kinds of things. If you look, we really narrow down the scope as to what that would be. Gaming was also an issue, so we put some parameters in there for that.' The bill was referred to the commerce and economic development committee next for discussion. CBS 17's Mary Smith is an Investigative Reporter focused on Digging Deeper and Getting Answers. If you have a story that needs investigating, send an email to Investigates@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NC lawmakers consider bill that would ban social media for some teens
North Carolina lawmakers will debate a bill Tuesday that would ban social media accounts for kids under the age of 14. To create an account, WRAL News reports companies that own social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram already have a minimum age of 13, in compliance with federal law. House Bill 301 would require parental permission for kids who are 14 or 15, WRAL says. ALSO READ: Man accused of trafficking teenage girl he met on social media, investigators say The bill would hold social media companies responsible for stopping kids who are too young from getting an account. If they fail to do so, they could face a $50,000 fine for each instance. Parents would also be able to sue for up to $10,000. The bill is scheduled for a hearing in a House committee Tuesday, WRAL reports. Citing the Pew Research Center, WRAL says some 95 percent of kids ages 13 to 17 in the U.S. report using a social media platform. More than one-third saying they use social media 'almost constantly,' Pew researchers add. WATCH BELOW: Why you should avoid sharing too much about your children on social media
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Carolina bill would ban social media for people 14 and younger
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Should kids under 14 be allowed to have social media? Those who support House Bill 301 say they shouldn't. The bill was proposed earlier this month. If the bill is passed, it would be against the law for children under the age of 14 to have social media accounts on any platform. It would require 14 and 15-year-old users to have parental controls. Forsyth County Representative Zenger is the primary bill sponsor and says this bill is intended to help parents protect their children from the harms of social media and the addictive nature of scrolling, especially for brains still developing. North Carolina is joining the growing list of states trying to regulate how teens use social media. Raesheaen Bittle from High Point said she supports House Bill 301 as a grandmother. She worries about her grandkids, and she feels this bill would protect them. 'There needs to be some type of limit to younger kids having phones and access to anything that's out here,' Bittle said. However, not everyone agrees. Donna Pope from Greensboro is a grandmother of teenagers. She thinks it could help, but it's up to the parents. 'I have two daughters and five grandchildren all under the age of 15, and they're pretty much on top of the controls and everything,' Pope said. Zenger says the bill isn't a replacement for parental oversight but should complement what parents are already doing. 'You look at the 14 and under category. In particular, you can't find anybody that's out there claiming there are benefits … The idea was let's give parents, let's give moms and dads kind of a backstop to help them have something to stand on to just say, 'We're not doing that,'' Zenger said. Zenger said he is hopeful this will be a unanimous vote because he says young teens need protection. 'Kids are still developing, so their minds … their bodies and everything are not completely developed, and what actually happens is an overabundance of screen time literally rewires the brain,' Zenger said. If passed, the Department of Justice would be able to impose a civil penalty of up to $50,000 per violation to parents. The DOJ would also be able to sue platforms as well. 'What we really want is just them to self-police … It's in their best interest … If you look at social media as a product, why do you want to put a product out there that's harming people?' Zenger said. There are still many steps until this could be approved. Zenger says he hopes it's approved from the North Carolina House in the coming weeks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Children could be banned from social media entirely if NC House bill passes
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Children in North Carolina could soon be banned from all social media if a bill in the House becomes law. Sponsors say House Bill 301 is all about helping kids avoid the negative impacts of social media. 'The mental issues that kids are having, the anxiety, the suicide rates,' Representative Neal Jackson said. 'We have all kinds of things that we prevent our kids from doing, they can't drink until they're 21, they can't drive until they're 16, why do we do that? We do that to protect them. We're looking out for their best interest, this is looking out for their best interest,' Representative Jeff Zenger said. The bill filed this week would ban anyone under the age of 14 from having any social media account and force the platforms to permanently delete existing accounts. Sponsors say platforms are generally compliant with laws like this and have followed similar laws in other states. 'Platforms are good about abiding to the law,' Representative Jackson said. For teenagers 14 and 15 years old, the bill would require parental consent to have a social media account. Advocates of the bill say not only do they think social media free kids will have better social and mental health, but also better academic lives. 'These algorithms are harming attention spans for children, they are losing the ability to focus, they are losing the ability to do deep work, because their brains are literally being rewired,' Joseph Blackholm with the NC Values Coalition said. Sponsors say they're already getting not only wide bipartisan support but strong support from parents too. 'Parents are just bombarded with things they have to watch out for and navigate with their kids and so what you hear from parents is this is such a hard battle,' Representative Zenger said. 'Kids under 14 would be so much better off if they were out in the woods hunting rabbits and on the ball field playing softball and baseball and in the creek catching salamanders than playing on their phones on social media,' Representative Jackson said. The bill was referred to another committee on Thursday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
