CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A bipartisan group of North Carolina lawmakers introduced a bill that would regulate how social media companies can handle children's accounts, saying the companies should take responsibility for protecting kids online.
State Rep. Jeff McNeely, a Republican from Iredell County, and Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed, a Democrat from Mecklenburg County, held a news conference Wednesday explaining that their new bill is aimed at ending kids' social media addiction and the negative side effects that come with it.
"Unhealthy use of social media can be found to lead to depression, anxiety, eating disorders and even suicidal thoughts and actions," McNeely said. "So this has become almost an epidemic."
House Bill 644 wants companies like Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, to stop basing advertisements on users' internet searches. They're also asking for a better age verification system so that kids only see content that's age-appropriate. Ultimately, lawmakers say this would help limit the power of major companies to use kids' data.
In response, a spokesperson for Meta said the organization is already taking steps to protect teenagers on Facebook, such as making their profiles private by default and turning on notifications that encourage them to take breaks. The company also said it plans to continue working closely with lawmakers on the issue.
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