Texas Lawmakers Consider Legislation to Ban Minors From Social Media

Texas is set to lead the nation in restrictive legislation. Under a proposed bill, minors would be banned from social media, while platforms would also be required to introduce age verification methods. While supporters say the change would make children safer, critics argue that such legislation may do the exact opposite. Introduced in November, House Bill 186 would prevent minors from creating accounts on social media platforms like Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and more. Platforms would be required to use “public or private transactional data” to verify that account holders are at least 18 years old. In addition, parents could request the deletion of any of their child’s existing accounts. Companies would have to cooperate with that request within 10 days. Under the law, social media platforms are limited to public websites or applications that allow users to communicate with each other “for the primary purpose of posting information, comments, messages, or images.” It wouldn’t appl ... Read full article.