NC ban on ‘addictive’ social media for children under 14 one vote away from governor’s desk

The North Carolina Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday barring children under 14 from creating accounts on social media apps the state deems “addictive,” opening platforms up to fines and litigation if they fail to comply.

House Bill 301 sets out various criteria for whether social media should be considered addictive, including whether 10% of users under 16 are spending two or more hours a day on the app, as well as whether it offers features like infinite scrolling and “like” and “share” metrics.

In addition to banning users who are 13 and under, the bill would also restrict access for 14- and 15-year-olds, requiring parental consent before they can create accounts on the platforms.

“This legislation really is a simple truth — that our children need protection, and our parents need additional tools in the toolbox to protect their children,” said Sen. Dana Jones (R-Forsyth), who introduced the bill.

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The bill also instructs the State Board of Education to set AI literacy standards and to require training on AI use as part of the computer science curriculum for K-12 schools.

Democratic lawmakers put forward four amendments to enact additional social media safeguards, protect users’ data, and provide $5 million in new funding to support new AI educational requirements enacted in the bill. All were rejected by Senate Republicans.

Among those rejected amendments was a proposal by Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch (D-Wake) that would have required parental approval for social media users aged 16 and 17 and imposed additional protections relating to generative AI. Republican lawmakers did signal a willingness to give those ideas further consideration in the future.

“The addiction at older ages is actually even more palpable,” Batch said. “This is an earthquake in the developing minds of our children, who will have long-term consequences if we don’t act.”

Speaking to reporters after the Senate session, Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) praised the bill’s passage.

“Parents need to be actively aware of what’s going on with their kids,” he said. “I think it helps raise awareness of some concerns that are out there amongst people that are already paying a lot of attention, and maybe some parents aren’t as aware of.”

The bill, which originated in the House, will now return to it so members can vote on the changes enacted by the Senate, including an amendment by the Senate Judiciary Committee to prohibit the sale of child users’ data.