RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia lawmakers passed a bill that would put a one hour limit on social media usage for kids and teens under 16-years-old.
The new legislation seeks to address concerns over the impact of social media on children's mental health and attention spans.
"Study after study has shown that too much time on social media is hurting our kids," House Speaker Don Scott said in Richmond (D-Portsmouth).
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Some parents agree with kids' social media usage being limited.
"It’s a lot of craziness going on. A lot of the social media is bringing violence. Children don’t belong on social media. It’s for adults," Quing Love said.
Love, a Hampton Roads mother, says she limits her teenage son’s time on social media and believes it has harmful impacts on kids.
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"He plays games more than being on social media which I like more," Love said. "Children can be easily influenced. Let along the music and the music has trickled over into social media."
The bill would give parents the ability to increase or decrease that time if they wanted to.
Some social media apps like Instagram have parental control options, but not all social platforms have that option.
Karen Louise, another Hampton Roads mother, is not sure how easy the bill would be to enforce.
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"Unless the social media platform has a mechanism in which they can switch it off, you’re relying on parents to enforce it so I’m not sure how it can happen," Louise said.
Dr. Sarah Williams, a psychotherapist says social media has harmful effects on kids.
"They have a greater risk of being cyberbullied. They are sometimes seeing material that is not healthy for their social development, personal development, to develop their self-esteem," Louise said.
If Gov. Youngkin accepts the bill, it will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
