On Thursday April 9th, the Massachusetts House lawmakers followed through with the ban of children under the age of 13 from social media platforms. The house passed the legislation on a 129 to 25 vote. This bill will be combined with a senate bill that addresses a cell phone ban in all schools.
Under the proposal Democratic leaders put out on Monday, April 6th, social media companies will be required to ban children under 13 from having any accounts on their platforms. The social media platforms now require verification from parents of children who are 14 or 15 years old.
In a joint statement released to the press, the House speaker Ron Mariano and State Representative Aaron Michelwitz said “This ban would be among the most restrictive in the entire country.”
The House Bill will be combined with the Senate Bill that will require public schools to ban cell phones during the school day. Many school districts have already issued restrictions from prior years, and they created smart phone “pouches” where students place their phones into individual storage containers. These containers are then unlocked after each academic period. Danvers High has adopted such a ban this school year.
Multiple states, including Florida and New York are just a few states that have attempted to carry out similar bans on social media and those laws have been challenged “in courts on the basis of First Amendment rights.”
As of October 1st of this year, the ban will take effect and, in addition, the social media platforms are also adding default safety settings to prioritize the health and wellness of users 14 and older. These include restricting visibility sharing and direct messages to friends, followers, or similar connections.
