CCIA Seeks to Halt House-Passed Social Media Kids Ban in Texas
A tech industry group raised privacy and other concerns with a Texas bill (HB-186) that would require age verification and ban kids younger than 18 from creating social media accounts.
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At a hearing Thursday, the Computer & Communications Industry Association urged the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee to stop the bill. An overwhelming majority of the Texas House voted to pass HB-186 last month (see 2504300004).
The proposed child ban “conflicts with Texas contract law and undermines teens’ rights to access information, express themselves, and participate in today’s digital economy,” said CCIA State Policy Director Megan Stokes. “A 14-year-old can legally work in retail or food service in Texas, but this bill would prevent them from even having a social media account.”