Virginia Democrats Shut Down Social Media Regulations After Gov. Youngkin Promised Bills to Protect Commonwealth Kids

Kids on a Smartphone

Two bills put forward by Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates were defeated in a subcommittee by Democrats on Monday, just months after Governor Glenn Youngkin promised to file bills targeting social media companies, particularly TikTok, to protect children in the commonwealth.

Defeated by a margin of two votes, HB 1161 would have required social media platforms to obtain a verifiable form of parental consent for minors to use the platform and for parental consent to be obtained a second time before social media companies could collect personal data from minors.

Delegates Jackie Glass (D-Norfolk), Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington), Jeion Ward (D-Hampton), Irene Shin (D-Fairfax), Holly Seibold (D-Vienna) and Michelle Maldonado (D-Manassas) ultimately voted to table the bill.

The second bill, HB 1115, would have prohibited social media companies from implementing certain technology for minor users. Specific features that would have been banned, some of which experts say may have negative consequences for mental health, included infinite scrolling, videos that automatically play, push notifications, “gamification,” and virtual gifts for minors.

Glass, Lopez, Ward, Shin, Seibold, and Maldonado similarly voted down HB 1115.

The defeat of HB 1115 and HB 1161 come after Youngkin promised bills would be introduced to restrict social media companies from gathering data about children and ban TikTok for minors in a December 2023 press conference revealing his plans for 2024.

“I will introduce legislation to restrict youth access, those under 18, to TikTok. Full stop, we will introduce the bill,” Youngkin pledged.

Yes, Every Kid

Youngkin also promised to introduce legislation “to protect the privacy of all children under 18 years of age from social media companies by banning targeted advertising to children, selling children’s data, or creating a marketing profile of a child without parental consent” and force social media companies to obtain “verifiable parental consent” before a minor can create an account.

A spokesman for Youngkin told The Virginia Star, “As the Governor has previously stated, he will seek to protect minors and their mental health from the detrimental impacts of TikTok. Virginia Democrats should work with the administration to protect Virginia’s youth rather than block legislation that would limit social media’s harmful impacts.”

Youngkin previously banned using TikTok on devices owned by the commonwealth or on any wireless internet connection provided by Virginia in 2022. The governor extended the ban to WeChat, the Chinese app originally used for messaging.

After Youngkin banned TikTok on state devices in 2022, the Virginia General Assembly in April 2023 passed a law to make the governor’s ban permanent. The law took effect on July 1, 2023.

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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].

 

 

 

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