EWTN News: Minnesota bishops praise new limits on addictive social media features for children under 15

“It will mean happier kids who are less anxious, less worried, and more focused on the present moment,” a spokesperson for the Minnesota Catholic Conference said.

Minnesota’s Catholic bishops are applauding the passage of a bipartisan bill this week that restricts what critics say are the addictive aspects of social media for children below age 15.

The Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the Church in Minnesota, issued a statement May 16 saying it is “encouraged” that lawmakers in both legislative houses overwhelmingly passed the Stop Harms from Addictive Social Media Act.

The bill is aimed at curbing the purportedly addictive design of social media for young children by imposing new requirements on large social media platforms earning $1 billion or more in global advertising revenue.

It prohibits several features for accounts of children 15 and younger, including infinite scrolling, algorithmic or profile-based feeds, push notifications for new content or likes, autoplay videos, visible engagement metrics such as likes and shares, and usage-based awards, badges, or streaks.

“No more ads, no more push notifications, no more infinite scrolling … and the strongest privacy protections,” state Rep. Peggy Scott, the author of the bill in the state House, said when presenting the bill.

Targeted or paid commercial advertising based on the child’s activity or personal information is also banned for youth accounts.

“This legislation puts parents back in the driver’s seat and helps them foster healthy dialogue with their kids about social media use,” said Maggee Hangge, assistant director for family policy at the Minnesota Catholic Conference, in a press release. “It will mean happier kids who are less anxious, less worried, and more focused on the present moment.”

After passing with a vote of 132-2 in the House and a vote of 66-0 in the Senate, the bill now requires Gov. Tim Walz’s signature to become law.

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The bishops’ conference cited a recent Minnesota Student Survey that found that almost 20% of students are online between midnight and 5 a.m. at least five nights a week, along with a 2023 study that showed that 97% of students report using their smartphones during the school day.

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If signed by Walz, the law would take effect July 1, 2027, for both new and existing accounts. It includes exemptions for email, direct messaging, streaming services, online games, and e-commerce platforms where social features are not central.

Enforcement includes a private right of action for families, with potential statutory damages of $10,000 per knowing or reckless violation, plus possible punitive damages and state attorney general enforcement as a deceptive trade practice.

Read the full article at EWTN News.