A Virginia bill seeking to ban minors’ access to the social media platform TikTok failed to advance out of committee in the Democrat-controlled state legislature.
The Republican sponsor argued TikTok hooks children into extensive watching that can lead them down “rabbit holes.”
Republican Delegate Jay Leftwich said, “The whole platform — especially for minors — is to get them engaged and kind of hooked into watching these things. And it leads them down different rabbit holes, and they sit there for hours and hours watching these things.”
If passed, the bill would have allowed parents to sue TikTok for violations with damages up to $75,000 per child access instance.
TikTok stated it implemented measures like a 60-minute usage limit for under-18 users and said bans raise free speech concerns.
A spokesperson for TikTok said, “We work hard to support teens’ well-being on TikTok with an automatic 60-minute time limit for users under 18, restrictions on direct messaging, parental controls, and more.”
“We’ve long said bans, like the one proposed in this legislation, are not only the wrong approach, but also raise significant First Amendment concerns,” the spokesperson added.
While the Republican governor supports a minor ban, scrutiny remains over youth data collection and risk on the China-owned app.
The committee deadline expiration effectively stalled the legislation amid partisan divisions over appropriate responses to platform-related youth risks.
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