Southwest
Texas bill pushes strictest social media ban for minors in the nation
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A bill making its way through the Texas Legislature would ban minors from accessing popular social media apps and websites in an effort to curb what a lawmaker says is an addictive and “harmful product.”
Republican state Rep. Jared Patterson’s measure, House Bill 186, passed the Texas House with bipartisan support last month and appears poised to be pushed through by the state Senate en route to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.
In an interview with Fox News Digital on Monday, Patterson said the bill came about by speaking with multiple committees and with parents who have young kids about the effect that popular social media sites like X, TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat have on children.
These committees and conversations came during the last two interims in the state Legislature that studied the issue of social media and minors.
“Learning more about it, we really came to the realization that this is the most harmful product that our kids have access to in terms of its addictive nature,” Patterson said.
NEW TEXAS LAW TAKES EFFECT REQUIRING PARENTAL APPROVAL FOR CHILDREN TO CREATE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
Texas Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, is the author of Bill 186, which would ban minors under 18 from accessing social media platforms. (Rep. Jared Patterson)
Bill 186 would ban minors from signing up for accounts on social media, require parental consent to download applications, and place warning labels about the dangers of social media.
Websites that allow users to create content and share it will be considered a social media platform and thus be banned from minors.
However, websites containing news and sports will be accessible for minors.
While Texas isn’t the first state to put some restrictions on minors’ access to social media platforms, it right now would be the strictest.
As of June 2024, there are 10 states that have age restriction laws on social media for minors, according to the Age Verification Providers Association.
SNAPCHAT ‘OPENLY DEFYING’ LAW, ALLOWING KIDS ACCESS TO HARMFUL ADDICTIVE CONTENT: FLORIDA AG
Texas Bill 186 would ban minors from signing up for accounts on social media. (Getty Images)
Currently, only Florida has laws banning minors from using social media, but its laws are not as strict as the proposed Texas Bill 186.
Florida’s age restriction is currently 14 years old, while Texas’s proposed limit would be for those under the age of 18.
However, Patterson said the age restriction isn’t set in stone.
“We’ll see what happens with the Senate. When [the bill] left the House, people under the age of 18 will be prohibited from social media. There was broad bipartisan support when the bill left the Texas house,” Patterson said. “[The Senate has] every right to adjust it to whatever it needs to get out of that body.”
MOMS FOR LIBERTY CO-FOUNDER SAYS CONGRESS’ LATEST BILL TO PROTECT KIDS ONLINE HAS SERIOUS LOOPHOLE
Bill 186 would ban minors from signing up for accounts on social media, require parental consent to download applications, and place warning labels about the dangers of social media. (iStock)
Regardless of what changes are made, Patterson said he still feels strongly that protecting children is the No. 1 priority and that parents will realize just what exactly is happening.
“It starts with the understanding that these parents don’t stand a chance against these algorithms,” he said. “It also starts with parents understanding that these apps aren’t for friends sharing information with friends; they are built to harvest data and get people hooked on their products.”
Patterson said Texas will continue to “stand in the gap and protect these kids, even when these social media companies refuse to show up.
“They refuse to answer for the harm they’ve caused, and they don’t even care to answer questions in a public forum about what they’ve done to our kids.”
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A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
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A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
If you live or want to live in Los Angeles, the city controller has released a new dashboard highlighting some of the city’s most notorious problem rental properties, a tool designed to help renters avoid future headaches.
“This project comes at a time when tenants are reporting harassment and illegal evictions violating the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance and Tenant Anti‑Harassment Ordinance, but very few of the complaints end up leading to strong enforcement or real accountability,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a media release Thursday.
The new Top 100 Problem Rental Properties dashboard includes a searchable database of all residential addresses with reported housing violation cases within the city of Los Angeles, a ranked list of the 100 addresses with the most violations and an interactive map.
“There has never before been an uncomplicated way for anyone to look up years’ worth of violations by address,” Mejia said in the release.
Data for the dashboard was compiled from multiple sources, including the Los Angeles Housing Department, Los Angeles City Planning and the L.A. County Assessor’s Office, according to the controller’s office.
The release also identified the top three addresses with the highest number of reported housing violations:
1. 636 1/2 North Hill Place, Chinatown
192 housing violation cases
2. 11700 West Wilshire Boulevard, Sawtelle
166 housing violation cases
3. 6650 West Forest Lawn Drive, Hollywood Hills
113 housing violation cases
“Our new dashboard is an easy‑to‑understand public tool that we hope will help renters and organizers document patterns of harm, as well as put pressure on both landlords and the City to act,” Mejia said. “Everyone deserves safe, stable and dignified housing.”
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