Texas could soon ban social media for minors under 18 in landmark vote

Texas lawmakers are just hours away from potentially passing a social media ban for anyone under the age of 18.

The bill is due for a vote on Tuesday in front of the state Senate, with just days left in the legislative session.

This proposal was first filed by State Representative Jared Patterson (R-Frisco), and in the last few months, it has already passed the House and made it out of a Senate committee before being debated on the Senate floor.

The bill would be the strictest state-level regulation on social media seen yet in the country.

It would ban every Texas resident under the age of 18 from creating profiles and using social media platforms like TikTok, X, Facebook, and Snapchat.

It would also require those companies to verify the ages of all people setting up those accounts. If a minor already has an account, parents can request the company to delete it, and the platform would have to comply within 10 days or else face fines.

Supporters say the primary goal is online safety and improving mental health in youth, citing studies showing the impact it's having on the brains and emotions of young people.

"It is our kids killing themselves at a clip we've never seen before in the history of the state of Texas. And it's all correlated back to this rapid rise in social media use," Rep. Patterson said in an interview with KXAN, the NBC-affiliate in Austin.

Parents who have lost children to suicide connected to cyberbullying have been staunch supporters of the legislation.

"I lost my son, David, to suicide 9 years ago after he was cyberbullied for months by a group of students on Instagram who were tormenting him. The reason we do this work is so that no other family has to walk in our shoes," said Maurine Molak, a San Antonio mother who lost her son to suicide.

However, critics say it infringes on free speech, and there are questions about how it would actually be enforced. Experts say one way would be through third-party apps that would require users to take a picture of themselves and their ID for verification.

According to NBC News, the American Psychological Association has repeatedly urged legislators to be more aggressive in trying to protect adolescents’ mental health, but it has advocated for policies more tailored than age restrictions.

If the bill passes the Senate, it then goes to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott, who has expressed support for the bill.

But it has until Monday, June 2, before the legislative session comes to an end.

Texas could become the second state in the nation with such a law. Florida, under the order of Gov. Ron DeSantis, was the first state to pass a strict social media ban last year for those under the age of 14.

The ban could face legal hurdles, just like it did in Florida and other states with similar proposals.