North Carolina House lawmakers took action on two bills on May 6 designed to address the potential harms of social media use by children and teens.
The House gave its stamp of approval to House Bill 301 in a 106-6 bipartisan vote, without debate. That measure would require parental consent for teens between the ages of 14 and 15 in order to create a social media account.
Under the bill, social media platforms would be responsible for terminating unauthorized accounts for minors and ensure personal data is erased. Platforms must verify users’ ages using methods designed to protect personal data and will face fines of up to $50,000 per violation if they fail to adhere to the law. The act allows the NC Department of Justice to investigate violations and enforce compliance, a move meant to ensure companies take the law seriously. Proceeds from any penalties collected will go toward the state’s Civil Penalty and Forfeiture Fund.
Meanwhile, the House K-12 Education Committee on the same day passed House Bill 959, a measure that would require school boards to adopt policies prohibiting students’ access to social-media platforms in the classroom “except when expressly directed by a teacher solely for educational purposes.”
HB 959 would also ban TikTok on devices owned by school districts or through Internet access provided by the school district. The measure additionally integrates lessons into existing health and mental-health curricula to educate students on the dangers of excessive social-media use.
“This is really an effort to further address what I think is generally recognized as the issue of social media and the negative impacts that they can have, both educationally and mentally and emotionally on our children,” said state Rep. Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke, the bill’s primary sponsor, during the committee meeting.
The bills are two of several that have been introduced addressing issues related to social media.
Senate Bill 518 would establish a data-privacy task force to oversee emerging technologies and their compliance with consumer-protection laws, while enabling the NC Department of Justice to better ensure proper oversight of online platforms, including artificial intelligence systems integrated into social media.
House Bill 462 would require platforms to increase user awareness around data-collection practices and give individuals greater control over their personal information. The bill introduces penalties for companies that fail to comply. Senate Bill 408 would ban TikTok on government devices.
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