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The Texas House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would restrict the access of minors to social media.
State Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco), who authored House Bill 186, said the legislation was born out of concerns over the mental health and safety of young users.
Patterson described the bill as one of the most important he has carried in four legislative sessions, referring to social media as "the most dangerous legal product that children have access to."
On the floor, he cited alarming statistics about youth mental health.
“Due to constant social media use, self-harm rates have skyrocketed, up 48% for boys and a staggering 188% for young girls,” Patterson said. “Suicide rates for boys rose 91% and by 67% for girls. In a recent Pew study, 48% of teens admitted that social media harms people their age.”
Patterson also cited a recent study by the Wall Street Journal, which found an Instagram account for a 13-year-old saw three times as many prohibited posts containing nudity, 1.7 times as much violence and 4.1 times as much bullying content as users above the age of 30.
Under House Bill 186, social media companies would be banned from allowing people in Texas under 18 years old to create accounts. The platforms would also have to implement measures to verify the ages of users. Social media companies can use a commercially reasonable method that relies on public or private transactional data to verify age, so potentially uploading a photo ID.
Accounts could still be publicly anonymous, and there is nothing in the bill that requires people to use their name or photo on their profile, so long as the social media company verifies that they are above the age of 18.
State Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) expressed concern the bill would allow social media companies to collect even more data on Texans.
“I don't know how they could collect more data on us than they already do. They know when you're happy. They know when you're sad. They know when you're hungry. They know when you break up with your boyfriend. They know everything about you,” Patterson said. “They know when you where you plug in your phone at night. They know who else's phones are nearby. When you plug in your phone at night. They know more about you than you know about yourself.”
State Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) said he fears it would lead to people pulling back on political speech, given past data breaches at Facebook and Bank of America, they won’t want to give a social media platform that much. Patterson said he sympathizes with someone in that situation, but said social media companies already know more information about Texans than they could ever want to.
“It does concern me the different way a lot of our youth interact with social media and even the way adults interact with social media. I think we should see more regulation of that space, particularly around data, particularly around having some good practices that do protect youth,” Zwiener said. “I still am struggling with this outright ban and both the effect it has on adults' privacy and on minors.”
The bill would also allow parents to request social media companies shut down their child’s existing social media accounts.
If social media companies do not comply, the bill empowers the Texas Attorney General’s Office to take action against those platforms. The violations are considered deceptive trade practices under Texas law.
“The harms that we are seeing in today's children will only be accelerated if steps are not taken, and that isn't even taking into consideration the long-term unknown effects of social media,” Patterson said. “This legislation will allow today's kids to be kids again.”
While some critics argue that the bill infringes upon free speech and parental rights, Patterson said it is necessary to protect children from what he called harmful, addictive behaviors.
Patterson cited an op-ed in the New York Times from former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy last summer, warning about the harmful effects of social media on minors and comparing it to the addictive nature of cigarettes.
“I believe that this is the modern day cigarette,” Patterson said. “I think that we are going to wake up at some point in this country and realize what we have done to an entire generation of kids that are on this highly addictive product called social media.”
Patterson compared the regulations to legislation lawmakers have previously passed requiring age-verification measures for pornography websites.
State Rep. Mitch Little (R-Lewisville) expressed concern that the bill would prohibit the ability of children to make money with monetized content on social media platforms and also block the ability of student athletes to use social media as a tool for recruitment in sports like baseball, football, basketball and softball.
“I will say there was nothing stopping a parent from creating a social media page and highlighting their child's activities in hopes of obtaining a basketball team slot, or a college scholarship, or anything in between,” Patterson said.
The bill now goes over to the Senate for consideration. If it makes it through the Senate and to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk, the social media ban for minors would start on Jan. 1, 2026.
The Texas House has also passed House Bill 499 by State Rep. Mary Gonzalez (D-Clint), which mandates social media companies display a warning label about the link between minors' social media use and mental health issues. The warning would appear every time a user opens the app, and they would have to acknowledge the warning before proceeding.
The bill tasked the Texas Health and Human Services Commission with the content of the warning. If it passes, social media platforms would have to comply by April 1, 2026.
Source: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/p...unts/269-fffe4db5-4e63-4fa3-b84a-f0efcd7f2d18
State Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco), who authored House Bill 186, said the legislation was born out of concerns over the mental health and safety of young users.
Patterson described the bill as one of the most important he has carried in four legislative sessions, referring to social media as "the most dangerous legal product that children have access to."
On the floor, he cited alarming statistics about youth mental health.
“Due to constant social media use, self-harm rates have skyrocketed, up 48% for boys and a staggering 188% for young girls,” Patterson said. “Suicide rates for boys rose 91% and by 67% for girls. In a recent Pew study, 48% of teens admitted that social media harms people their age.”
Patterson also cited a recent study by the Wall Street Journal, which found an Instagram account for a 13-year-old saw three times as many prohibited posts containing nudity, 1.7 times as much violence and 4.1 times as much bullying content as users above the age of 30.
Under House Bill 186, social media companies would be banned from allowing people in Texas under 18 years old to create accounts. The platforms would also have to implement measures to verify the ages of users. Social media companies can use a commercially reasonable method that relies on public or private transactional data to verify age, so potentially uploading a photo ID.
Accounts could still be publicly anonymous, and there is nothing in the bill that requires people to use their name or photo on their profile, so long as the social media company verifies that they are above the age of 18.
State Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) expressed concern the bill would allow social media companies to collect even more data on Texans.
“I don't know how they could collect more data on us than they already do. They know when you're happy. They know when you're sad. They know when you're hungry. They know when you break up with your boyfriend. They know everything about you,” Patterson said. “They know when you where you plug in your phone at night. They know who else's phones are nearby. When you plug in your phone at night. They know more about you than you know about yourself.”
State Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) said he fears it would lead to people pulling back on political speech, given past data breaches at Facebook and Bank of America, they won’t want to give a social media platform that much. Patterson said he sympathizes with someone in that situation, but said social media companies already know more information about Texans than they could ever want to.
“It does concern me the different way a lot of our youth interact with social media and even the way adults interact with social media. I think we should see more regulation of that space, particularly around data, particularly around having some good practices that do protect youth,” Zwiener said. “I still am struggling with this outright ban and both the effect it has on adults' privacy and on minors.”
The bill would also allow parents to request social media companies shut down their child’s existing social media accounts.
If social media companies do not comply, the bill empowers the Texas Attorney General’s Office to take action against those platforms. The violations are considered deceptive trade practices under Texas law.
“The harms that we are seeing in today's children will only be accelerated if steps are not taken, and that isn't even taking into consideration the long-term unknown effects of social media,” Patterson said. “This legislation will allow today's kids to be kids again.”
While some critics argue that the bill infringes upon free speech and parental rights, Patterson said it is necessary to protect children from what he called harmful, addictive behaviors.
Patterson cited an op-ed in the New York Times from former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy last summer, warning about the harmful effects of social media on minors and comparing it to the addictive nature of cigarettes.
“I believe that this is the modern day cigarette,” Patterson said. “I think that we are going to wake up at some point in this country and realize what we have done to an entire generation of kids that are on this highly addictive product called social media.”
Patterson compared the regulations to legislation lawmakers have previously passed requiring age-verification measures for pornography websites.
State Rep. Mitch Little (R-Lewisville) expressed concern that the bill would prohibit the ability of children to make money with monetized content on social media platforms and also block the ability of student athletes to use social media as a tool for recruitment in sports like baseball, football, basketball and softball.
“I will say there was nothing stopping a parent from creating a social media page and highlighting their child's activities in hopes of obtaining a basketball team slot, or a college scholarship, or anything in between,” Patterson said.
The bill now goes over to the Senate for consideration. If it makes it through the Senate and to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk, the social media ban for minors would start on Jan. 1, 2026.
The Texas House has also passed House Bill 499 by State Rep. Mary Gonzalez (D-Clint), which mandates social media companies display a warning label about the link between minors' social media use and mental health issues. The warning would appear every time a user opens the app, and they would have to acknowledge the warning before proceeding.
The bill tasked the Texas Health and Human Services Commission with the content of the warning. If it passes, social media platforms would have to comply by April 1, 2026.
Source: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/p...unts/269-fffe4db5-4e63-4fa3-b84a-f0efcd7f2d18
