Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco) filed House Bill 186, which would ban anyone under 18 from using social media platforms.
FRISCO, Texas — A North Texas lawmaker has filed a bill that would prevent minors in Texas from using social media platforms.
On Tuesday, Representative Jared Patterson (R-Frisco) filed House Bill 186, which would ban anyone under 18 from social media sites.
Patterson filed similar legislation during the last legislative session, but it didn’t pass.
“It’s past time that Texas starts putting our kids’ mental health at the same priority that we do their physical health,” Patterson said in an interview with WFAA on Wednesday. “There’s just all sorts of problems with this thing that our kids have access to that is so dangerous for them as their brains are developing.”
Vanessa Bouche, a Colleyville mother of two, said her two teenage daughters are active on social media. Bouche limits their use and heavily monitors their accounts.
“It is a struggle every day to stay vigilant,” Bouche said.
Despite the challenges of monitoring her children on social media, she’s against the proposed bill that would ban minors from using social media platforms.
Bouche said kids will become deceptive and figure out ways to get on social media even if there is a ban imposed on them.
“It is a part of our lives, part of our culture, part of our society,” Bouche said. “I personally don’t like that it is, but it is — and it’s not going anywhere. And because it’s not going anywhere — we have to prepare our minors for how to engage with it in the most responsible way possible.”
Another parent, author and New York Times Columnist Pamela Paul is on the opposite end of the issue. Previously, she spoke to WFAA and stated her support for phone bans in schools.
“There is no benefit, financially, cognitively, economically to a child’s future to having a smartphone. If anything, as you said earlier, there are downsides,” Paul said. “The tech industry has done a really good job at selling us on this false notion that somehow technology is essential to our child’s future in a 21st-century economy. The truth is, anything that your kid uses on an iPhone is going to do nothing to help them with skills for the future.”
Bouche said her daughter’s agent recommended the use of social media for her acting career.
“For kids pursuing athletics or whatever it may be, it’s a great way to get discovered,” Bouche said.
Patterson said he’s willing to negotiate on the age requirement of his proposed legislation.
“If you brought me a bill that said we’ll ban social media for minors under 16, I’d pass it in a heartbeat, because it’s a step in the right direction,” Patterson said.