27-03-2025
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.
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