A Republican legislative effort to block Virginia children from using the popular video-sharing app TikTok, backed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, was defeated in the Democratic-controlled Legislature this week.
The bill, introduced by Republican Rep. Jay Leftwich of Chesapeake, remained in the House Delegates Committee after concerns arose about how the ban would be enforced. Lawmakers also questioned whether naming just one company was the right approach amid growing concerns from parents and lawmakers about the impact of social media on young people.
The lack of movement on the bill effectively rendered it null and void, as most bills face a procedural deadline for passage in the full chamber on Tuesday. No similar bill has been introduced in the state Senate.
Biden campaign slams TikTok participation after app removed from federal devices: ‘Failure of leadership’
Yonkin framed his call to ban children’s app use, announced in a speech in December, as a tool to protect children’s mental health, part of his administration’s broader push on the issue.
Leftwich also said he introduced the bill out of concern for young people’s mental health and data privacy.
“The whole platform, especially for minors, is meant to hook them and get them hooked on watching this stuff,” he said at the committee hearing. It leads them down different rabbit holes and they sit there for hours looking at these things.” .
Leftwich’s bill has undergone significant revisions from how it was originally introduced. The latest iteration said TikTok Inc. and ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns the app, “must not provide access to TikTok to any child in the Commonwealth.”
The bill would allow a child’s parent or legal guardian to sue TikTok if the child was provided access. And if the plaintiffs prevail, the bill’s language would award $75,000 in damages for each “separate violation,” defined as each separate instance in which a child accessed the platform, plus other damages. may be able to claim.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week supported a Republican bill that failed to pass in the Democratic-led Legislature regarding minors’ use of the popular website TikTok. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
The bill received one hearing in the House Committee on Technology Bills. From there, it was moved to another committee by a bipartisan vote of 14-8, but its opinion was never heard.
Democrats on the committee raised a variety of concerns, including legal enforcement and whether the government, rather than parents, should be responsible for restricting children’s access to social media.
Mr Leftwich responded that policymakers prohibit children from accessing “harmful substances” such as alcohol and cannabis, and that he viewed his proposal in the same light.
Rep. Holly Seibold, D-Fairfax County, thanked Mr. Leftwich for introducing the bill, saying she is a parent of a teenager and said her children are not using social media apps or cell phones in general. He said he agreed he was becoming addicted.
FOX News poll: Half of voters support banning TikTok
“However, I do not support this bill because I think it is unfair to single out TikTok,” she said.
TikTok spokesperson Jamal Brown said in a statement that the company uses tools such as an automatic 60-minute time limit for users under 18, direct messaging limits, and parental controls to keep teens on the app safe. He said he is working hard to support the health of people. .
“We have long argued that a ban like the one proposed in this bill is not only the wrong approach, but also raises serious First Amendment concerns,” Brown said. Ta.
The governor “remains committed to empowering Virginia parents and protecting our Commonwealth’s youth from the harmful effects of social media,” Macaulay Porter, Youngkin’s deputy director of communications, said in a statement.
Yonkin previously banned the use of TikTok on state government terminals and wireless networks through a 2022 executive order, citing national security concerns.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Other states and the federal government have taken similar steps to restrict the use of apps on government devices, with Montana passing a blanket ban in 2023 that a federal judge later ruled unconstitutional. was suspended before it took effect.
