Since the time has passed by, one principal question has been whether it will impact the younger generation. Many of the fears lie with teens over the impact of social media on the mental health. Unfortunately, the platforms can and do expose teens to epochbullying, distorted body image, or skewed self-harming views. Studies suggest social media increased the number of teens with eating disorders, depression and suicidal ideas.
The negative effects of social media can be difficult to predict. But a new bill aims to act by stopping everyone under 18. In addition to the fact that an 18-year-old child was born in Haiti, the housekeeper, Jared Patterson submitted a resolution on December 7, 2022. The bill is a huge amount, but it can only be argued by social media platforms to agree to and cooperate with the stipulations it proposes.
What’s the bill to ban social media in Texas?
The bill proposed by Patterson would make it illegal for anyone under 18 to have a social media account. It would be fair to say that social media platforms have to be a good source of information for the age of social media users. A picture of their driver’s license, instead of asking the child for the second of their two-digits photograph to prove they are 18. The license information will only be used for age verification and isn’t stored or misused on the platform. The bill could allow parents to request that their children’s social media account be deleted. Even if you’re in the mood for a claim, the social media account would have more than 10 days to remove your account.
There is a law saying that if social media platforms have users under age, misuses or resuscitates personal information from the identification process, or fails to remove a personal account within 10 days of the request, that it is a fraud and a deceptive trade practice.
Pattersons bill was submitted over a half-year after the tragic school shooting that killed 19 children and two adults in Uvalde, Texas, and killed two adults. In August, Patterson slammed social media slanders, accused of not providing evidence to the shooters for content and behavior and that they were not all in one place or another, and so did the people that had listened to the messages, telling them they had no intention of spreading their message. He also pointed out that social media has increased with increased depression in the teenage population. Patterson concluded that he likes social media to the 1969 cigarette, referring to the era when smoking was advertised and encouraged before being declared unsafe.
Could the social media ban bill pass?
Pattersons bill is unlikely to be passed. The policy specialist Scott Babwah Brennen pointed out that the bill was too broad. The only problem with that is a social media reference. It doesn’t mention specific platforms, apps or companies where the bill is applied. In addition, a single social media platform doesn’t seem feasible to tackle. Brennen thought that there would be pushback from tech companies, too.
That bill might be a little extreme when it comes to raising the minimum age to use social media to be extremely high. Also, the idea that parents can delete their children’s accounts is a job that would likely be abused. Like the bill itself, a longer age verification process, and consequently requires, can cause serious or ill misuse of sensitive user information. And so it’s difficult to see the group agreeing to all the stipulations of the bill. The bill isn’t likely to become reality, though it raises questions over the correct way to tackle social media dangers.
(via: Gizmodo, depiction by: Tracy Le Blanc, Pexel)