State Rep. Jared Patterson: “They refuse to answer for what they’re doing to our kids.”
FRISCO, Texas — State Representative Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, has been working on a social media ban for multiple sessions now.
The Republican says there’s a time and a place for everything, and the 89th Legislature is the time for House Bill 186.
“I still say that these social media products are the most harmful thing that our kids have legal access to in Texas, and we are on the verge of stopping it this session,” Rep. Patterson told us proudly on Inside Texas Politics.
HB 186 will prohibit minors under the age of 18 from creating accounts on social media sites such as Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat. It will also require users to verify their ages. If a minor already has a social media account, parents can request that the company delete that account, and the company must comply within 10 days.
The legislation has already passed the House. And it just made it out of a Senate committee. Rep. Patterson says it has the support of the entire Senate, as well as Governor Greg Abbott, so he expects it to become a reality during the last full week of the regular session.
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He also tells us it will be enforceable.
“We put it all on them (social media companies). And if they don’t do it, there are legal consequences through the Attorney General’s office for them not upholding the law in Texas,” said the Republican.
The lawmaker points to the rise in self-harm and suicide rates among teenage boys and girls, which he says is directly correlated to the use of social media.
Critics of the legislation say it risks trampling on the free speech rights of minors.
And some high school athletes also say the legislation will put them at a disadvantage because they often share recruiting videos via social media.
Rep. Patterson says he’s aware of this complaint as his own son plays AAU basketball. He says a parent can still create an account for their child to promote their athletic skills and then post the videos there on behalf of their child for recruiters to see.
The Republican tells us he does expect legal challenges.
“Unfortunately, if you want any real meaningful policy done, it takes years of work on the front end of advocating and basically lobbying the legislature to get it through, a lot of hard work during the session to get a bill through, and then a lot of hard work on the back end protecting it in the courts,” he said.