YOU LOVE TO SEE IT: Log Off, Kids

Good things are happening! It’s a sad day for iPad kids, a Swiss bank pays up for stashing American cash, another crypto fraudster is sentenced, and the Army wants its tools back.

States Take Kids Offline

As Big Tech companies have taken heat in court for their anticompetitive practices, they’ve also been under scrutiny for the harm their products inflict on children. And where federal policy has failed to protect children, both red and blue states are now stepping up to the plate. 

Lawmakers across the country have proposed legislation to shield kids from the dangers of social media, from grooming risks and bullying to psychological addiction. Last week, the Texas House of Representatives voted to crack down on social media companies, passing two bills that would ban kids from the platforms without parental permission and require warning labels attached to their products noting the connection between a “minor’s social media usage and significant mental health issues.” Social media is ruining childhoods and “having a deadly impact on young people,” said the bill’s cosponsor, State Rep. Jared Patterson (R) in a floor speech.