Virginia

Proposed TikTok ban for children fails in Virginia's Legislature

Published

2 years ago

February 14, 2024

Proposed TikTok ban for children fails in Virginia's Legislature

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A GOP legislative effort to prevent Virginia children from using the popular video-sharing app TikTok — an idea backed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin — died this week in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

The bill, sponsored by Republican Del. Jay Leftwich of Chesapeake, was left in a House of Delegates committee after concerns were raised about how the ban would be enforced. Lawmakers also questioned whether singling out just one company was the right approach in a time of rising concern from parents and lawmakers about the effect of social media on youth.

The bill’s lack of movement effectively killed the measure because of a procedural deadline Tuesday for most legislation to clear its chamber of origin. No comparable bill was introduced in the state Senate.

Youngkin framed his call for a ban on kids using the app, issued in a December speech, as a tool to help protect children’s mental health, part of a broader push by his administration on the issue.

Leftwich also said he brought the bill out of mental health and data privacy concerns for young people.

WATCH: Meta, TikTok and other social media CEOs testify in Senate hearing on child exploitation

“The whole platform, especially for minors, is to get them engaged and kind of hooked into watching these things. And it leads them down different rabbit holes and they sit there for hours and hours watching these things,” he said in a committee hearing.

Leftwich’s bill went through a hefty revision from the way it was first introduced. The most recent iteration said TikTok Inc. and ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns the app, “shall not provide access to TikTok to any child within the Commonwealth.”

The bill would have allowed a child’s parent or legal custodian to bring a lawsuit against TikTok if a child was provided access. And if a plaintiff prevailed, they could recover damages of $75,000 for “each discrete violation,” defined as each separate instance a child accessed the platform, along with other damages according to the text of the bill.

The bill received one hearing in a House committee that deals with technology bills. It advanced from there on a bipartisan 14-8 vote to a different committee where it was never heard.

Democrats on the committee raised a range of concerns, including questions about enforceability and whether the government — rather than parents — should be responsible for limiting children’s access to social media.

Leftwich responded that policymakers have banned children from having access to “harmful substances” like alcohol and cannabis, and that he saw his proposal in the same light.

Del. Holly Seibold, a Democrat from Fairfax County, thanked Leftwich for brining the bill, saying she was a parent of teenagers and agreed children are becoming addicted to social media apps and their cellphones in general.

“But I will not be supporting this bill because I think it’s unfair to single out TikTok,” she said.

A spokesperson for TikTok, Jamal Brown, said in a statement that the company works hard to support teens’ well-being on the app, with tools including an automatic 60-minute time limit for users under 18, restrictions on direct messaging and parental controls.

“We’ve long said bans, like the one proposed in this legislation, are not only the wrong approach, but also raise significant First Amendment concerns,” Brown said.

Macaulay Porter, deputy communications director for Youngkin, said in a statement that the governor “remains committed to empowering parents in Virginia and protecting youth in the Commonwealth from social media’s harmful impacts.”

Youngkin previously banned the use of TikTok on state government devices and wireless networks through a 2022 executive order, citing national security concerns.

Other states and the federal government have taken similar steps to limit the use of the app on government devices, and Montana in 2023 passed a complete ban, which was later put on hold before it could take effect by a federal judge who called it unconstitutional.

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Virginia

#17 Irish Fall at #4 Virginia, 4-1

Published

4 hours ago

April 3, 2026

Press Room

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#17 Notre Dame (19-5, 8-3) – 1 | #4 Virginia (18-3, 10-1) – 4

DOUBLES – 3, 2
1. Dominko/Gregg (ND) vs. #5 Dahlberg/Dietrich (UVA), 2-4, 4-4, 5-4, 6-5, unfinished
2. Rice/Brockett (UVA) def. #47 Llorens Saracho/Nad (ND), 7-5
3. Santamarta/Kim (UVA) def. Lee/Patrick (ND), 6-0

SINGLES – 2, 4, 6
1. #2 Dylan Dietrich (UVA) def. #15 Sebastian Dominko (ND), 6-2, 2-6, 6-2
2. #14 Keegan Rice (UVA) def. #72 Perry Gregg (ND), 6-3, 6-3
3. #40 Andres Santamarta Roig (UVA) vs. Giuseppe Cerasuolo (ND), 6-3, 6-5, unfinished
4. Peter Nad (ND) def. #102 Jangjun Kim (UVA), 1-6, 6-1, 6-3
5. Kyran Magimay (ND) vs. Stiles Brockett (UVA), 6-1, 5-7, 1-1, unfinished
6. Douglas Yaffa (UVA) def. Luis Llorens Saracho (ND), 6-3, 0-6, 6-1

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Virginia

Virginia sees 33,000 ACA enrollment drop since subsidies expired, more likely on the way

Published

16 hours ago

April 3, 2026

Press Room

Virginia sees 33,000 ACA enrollment drop since subsidies expired, more likely on the way

As Virginians, and Americans nationwide, face premium spikes in the Affordable Care Act marketplace after Congress failed to renew subsidies, many are weighing the cost of coverage against paying rent or mortgages, making car payments or paying for public transit, and buying groceries.

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Virginia

The Virginia International Tattoo: Where 250 Years of Freedom Takes the Stage – VisitNorfolk

Published

1 day ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

The Virginia International Tattoo: Where 250 Years of Freedom Takes the Stage – VisitNorfolk

If you’re uncertain what the words “Tattoo” and “Hullabaloo” mean in the context of Norfolk, Virginia’s largest annual event, Scott Jackson is happy to explain.

“About 15 years ago, I took a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, to see the Edinburgh tattoo, which is the biggest tattoo in the world and the most famous,” says Jackson, Producer/Director of the military-themed spectacle known as the Virginia International Tattoo. “My hotel was at the bottom of a road called the Royal Mile… and when you walk up this mile on the night of a tattoo performance, it’s totally vibrant. It’s so exciting. There’s music on every corner. There’s street performers. There’s food, there’s beer. When I got to the castle, I already felt great. I was already in a great mood.”

The annual Virginia International Tattoo runs April 16–19, 2026, and this year it carries the theme of America’s 250th anniversary. The timing is not lost on Jackson, a student of military history who discovered, in preparing for this year, that George Washington himself called for the first tattoo in American history.

“At that time, a tattoo was a small military ceremony,” Jackson explains. “It was basically a time each night when soldiers were called back to a base, and there was a roll call, and a military ceremony, sometimes called a beating retreat.”

From that origin story, Jackson has built a show that threads 1776 through every act. The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, performing in 1776 uniforms, will demonstrate how fifes, drums and bugles once served as battlefield communication, the original radio operators of the Continental Army. The French Navy Band and a Royal Air Force rifle display team called the King’s Color Squadron represent the allies who stood with the colonies.

“There’s a great line from the musical Hamilton,” Jackson says, “‘I want to be in the room where it happened.’ Well, these were the countries that were in the room where it happened.”

South Korea’s Army Band provides a “a giant umbrella of Korean culture,” with traditional dance and costumes, a taekwondo display team, and two K-pop stars currently serving their mandatory military service.

“In the U.S. in the ’50s, Elvis Presley was drafted into the Army, who felt like it was a distraction, so they actually staged him in Germany. He basically had a desk job,” Jackson says. “Well, the South Koreans said, ‘Oh, you’re a K-pop star, we’re drafting you. We’re sending you to Virginia Tattoo to represent.’”

More than 800 civilian and military performers from six nations will fill Scope’s arena floor. For those making the drive from the Richmond region and beyond, the experience begins well before curtain. According to Jackson, that is precisely what you don’t want to miss.

The festivities aren’t just inside the arena, Jackson notes. For several hours before each performance, the exterior Scope Plaza comes alive with brass quintets, traditional Celtic dancers, beer tastings, festival food and a market of makers selling Tattoo-related merchandise. This is the Hullabaloo, a free pre-show open to the public and Jackson’s answer to Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

“When you can, come early and relax, because then when the show starts, you’re already in a great place,” he says. “If you haven’t gone yet, this is the year to go.”

Tickets are available at vafest.org or by calling (757) 282-2822. Show times are Thursday–Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

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