Proposal would ban social media access for children under 14 in NC

The proposed House Bill 301 would ban social media accounts for kids under 14 in North Carolina.
Posted 3/25/2025, 6:52:38 PM Updated 3/26/2025, 12:58:06 AM

LIVESTREAM IT ON WRAL DOT COM

AND WRAL NEWS. PLUS.

>> HOW YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG TO

HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT.

SOME STATE LAWMAKERS WANT TO

REQUIRE PARENTAL PERMISSION

FOR CHILDREN UNDER 14 YEARS OLD

TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT. WRAL

CAPITOL BUREAU CHIEF LAURA

LESLIE JOINS US LIVE FROM THE

GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND HAS SOME

REACTION FROM PARENTS. LAURA.

YEAH, ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, THE

BILL WOULD BAN SOCIAL MEDIA

ACCOUNTS FOR ANYONE UNDER 14.

SO WITH OR WITHOUT PARENTAL

COMMISSION.

>> AGES 14 15 TEAMS WOULD NEED

THEIR PARENTS PERMISSION TO

CREATE A SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT

OF THE COMPANIES THAT OWN

TIKTOK FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM,

YOUTUBE. THEY ALL SAY THAT THEY

ALREADY HAVE A MINIMUM AGE OF

13 YEARS OLD TO CREATE AN

ACCOUNT. BUT A LOT OF KIDS HAVE

ALREADY FIGURED OUT HOW TO GET

AROUND. THIS IS A GUY THAT HAS

GUARDRAILS AND THIS BILL WOULD

HOLD SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES

ACCOUNTABLE FOR STOPPING THEM.

CYNTHIA MARSHALL TEACHES MIDDLE

SCHOOL AND WILKES COUNTY.

SHE LIKES THE IDEA. SHE SAYS

MANY OF HER STUDENTS ARE

ALREADY ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND

MIDDLE SCHOOL AND THE EFFECTS

SHE SEES IN THE CLASSROOM ARE

NOT POSITIVE.

>> THERE'S JUST SO MANY TERMS.

A VIDEO EXPOSURES, YOU KNOW,

RECORDINGS, SILLY THINGS THAT,

YOU KNOW, SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED

FOR PARENTS TO NOT HAVE THAT

CONTROL AND WHAT CONCERNS YOU

ABOUT THE CHARITY THAT BECAUSE

THEY'RE EXPOSED.

>> YOU KNOW, JUST SO MANY

THINGS ON THE INTERNET IS

GRAHAM AND FACEBOOK. AND

THEY'RE NOT MATURE ENOUGH OR

>> THAT CYNTHIA'S HUSBAND,

RICHARD MARSHALL, THEY HAVE A

CHILD AND 5TH GRADE THEMSELVES

AND THEY SAY THEY DO NOT PLAN

FOR THAT CHILD TO BE ON SOCIAL

MEDIA ANYTIME SOON UNTIL THIS

MORNING. THIS BILL WAS

SCHEDULED FOR A HEARING THIS

AFTERNOON. IT WAS PULLED OFF

THE CALENDAR. WE'RE TRYING TO

FIND OUT WHY I'VE ALSO REACHED

OUT TO THE LOBBYISTS WHO

REPRESENT THESE TIKTOK GOOGLE,

ETC. I WILL. WE WILL BRING YOU