A measure requiring parental approval for minors under the age of 18 to join a range of social media platforms was signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) this week.
According to HB 18, social media businesses must acquire express permission from a minor’s parent or legal guardian before allowing the youngster to open an account. In September 2024, this is expected to become effective.
The law also requires Silicon Valley powerhouses to develop new content filtering systems to shield kids from “harmful” information including articles about eating disorders, drug misuse, and grooming.
According to a recent Breitbart News story, social media behemoths like Facebook are aware of how harmful social media can be for youngsters, particularly young females. Internal papers that the Wall Street Journal got state:
The academics made this claim in a March 2020 slide presentation that was uploaded to Facebook’s internal messaging board and later accessed by The Wall Street Journal. “Thirty-two percent of teen girls claimed that whenever they feel bad regarding their bodies, Instagram caused them to feel even worse,” the researchers said. “Instagram comparisons have the power to alter how young women see and define themselves.”
One presentation from 2019 that summarized data regarding young girls who suffer the difficulties stated, “We make issues with body image worse for one out of every three teenage girls.”
Another slide said, “Teens blamed Instagram for rises in the rate of depression and anxiety. This response came out of the blue and was shared by all groups.”
According to a story by the Verge, Carl Szabo, vice president and also general counsel for NetChoice, expressed his “disappointment” at the Texas governor “signing into law a measure that erodes the rights of parents while breaching the First Amendment along with digital freedoms for each and every Texan.”
“This new legislation prioritizes government orders over Texan family values,” Szabo continued.
Any business found to have been in violation of the new state legislation will also be subject to legal action by the Texas attorney general.
However, there will be certain exceptions to the rule, such as email services and websites that primarily disseminate news or instructional information.
Not only Texas but other states are fighting back against the dangers that social networking platforms bring to young people.
Last month, Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) signed two pieces of new legislation requiring social media firms to obtain parental permission before allowing children to use their services, as Breitbart News reported.
According to Governor Cox, “We’re not willing to allow social media firms to keep jeopardizing the mental health of our nation’s youth.”
It is about time that our polititions take a stand for our children and back the parents in an effort to protect their kids from of the predictors that use social media to mess with our kids and their mental well being. How is it that all these perverts have been allowed to gain so much influence over our life’s and our children!
Prayers answered
About time the government allows parents to have more rights over kids. CA has to be the worst state for public schools. Governor Newsom wants the government to allow transgender treatment without parents consent. No education. Most kids graduate from high school and can’t read or write. They have defunded every program that brought kids together. Explorer program for Military, Deputies. HWP, have been defunded. No mechanic, sewing, crafts, cooking, art. Wood working, FFA,BOY AND GIRL SCOUTS. Godess Bless Texas
THANK YOU GOV. ABBOT!
With an Anti- Pido Bill, Opra will be out of Business, and the Democrats will have to buy blowup dolls. Check the tunnels below the capitol buildings, you may catch a lot of them in action.
I think Sept. 2024 is a little long to wait but I applaud Texas for passing your new law protecting children from all that radical left-wing liberal nonsense that’s out there on the world wide web.
Thank you, Governor Abbott..Blessings.