Minnesota Legislature Passes Landmark Social Media Protection Bill with Bipartisan Support

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May 16

Minnesota Legislature Passes Landmark Social Media Protection Bill with Bipartisan Support

 
Saint Paul, Minn. – The Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC), the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, applauds the overwhelming passage of the Stop Harms from Addictive Social Media Act (H.F. 4138 – Scott / S.F. 4696 – Maye Quade). The bill passed the Minnesota House by a vote of 132-2 and the Senate by 66-0 and now heads to Governor Walz’s desk for signature.

The landmark bill targets social media addiction among youth by requiring parental consent for children under 16 to create social media accounts and prohibiting platform features shown to be most addictive for children.

“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. “It will mean happier kids who are less anxious, less worried, and more focused on the present moment.”

A recent Minnesota Student Survey found that nearly one in five students are online between midnight and 5 a.m. at least five nights a week, and 97 percent report using their phones during the school day.

Senator Michael Kreun, a co-author of the legislation, cited his own experience as a parent. “Parents really need help right now with all this technology,” said Kreun. “Kids themselves are asking for help, as we have seen from the data. I’ve seen the addiction, the mental health issues—this is an area [of concern] that crosses party lines.”

If signed into law by Governor Walz, the legislation will prove to be a turning point in curbing social media addiction for hundreds of thousands of kids across Minnesota and send a stark warning to Big Tech.

“It is time to put social media companies on notice for their failure to protect children,” said Senator Erin Maye Quade, Senate author of the bill. “That stops here in Minnesota today.”

 One of the key features of the bill is that even if parents allow their kids on a platform, social media companies are required to remove some of the most addictive features and default to the highest privacy settings.  “No more ads, no more push notifications, no more infinite scrolling … and the strongest privacy protections,” Rep. Peggy Scott, House Author of the bill, said in her presentation to the House.

 In a divided legislature, MCC is encouraged that lawmakers have fostered common ground for the common good to protect Minnesota’s children online and to stand up to Big Tech.  A diverse group of advocates supported MCC in this effort, including Annunciation Light Alliance, Division of Indian Work, Minnesota Family Council, Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, MN Unplugged, Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, The Tech Exit, and WithAll.

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Minnesota Catholic Conference is the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota. Learn more at www.mncatholic.org.