Proposed TikTok ban for kids fails in Virginia's Legislature
A GOP legislative effort to prevent Virginia children from using the video-sharing app TikTok died this week in the Democratic-controlled Legislature
RICHMOND, Va. — A GOP legislative effort to prevent Virginia children from using the popular video-sharing app TikTok — an idea backed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin — died this week in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
The bill, sponsored by Republican Del. Jay Leftwich of Chesapeake, was left in a House of Delegates committee after concerns were raised about how the ban would be enforced. Lawmakers also questioned whether singling out just one company was the right approach at a time of broad and rising concern from parents and lawmakers about the effect of social media on youth.
The bill's lack of movement effectively killed the measure because of a procedural deadline Tuesday for most legislation to clear its chamber of origin. No comparable bill was introduced in the state Senate.
Youngkin framed his call for a ban on kids using the app, issued in a December speech, as a tool to help protect children's mental health, part of a broader push by his administration on the issue.
Leftwich also said he brought the bill out of mental health and data privacy concerns for young people.
“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,” he said in a committee hearing.
Leftwich's bill went through a hefty revision from the way it was first introduced. The most recent iteration said TikTok Inc. and ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns the app, “shall not provide access to TikTok to any child within
Read more on abcnews.go.com
