FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Munroe introduces bill to keep children safe on social media
Rep. Brian Munroe February 7, 2024 | 11:52 AM
WARRINGTON, Feb. 7 – State Rep. Brian Munroe introduced a bill today at Tamanend Middle School that would help make social media safer to navigate for children.
House Bill 2017, is bipartisan legislation that would put the following safeguards in place:
- Require social media companies to monitor the chats of two or more minors on the platform and notify parents or legal guardians of flagged sensitive or graphic content.
- Strengthen proof of age verification on social media platforms by requiring consent from a parent or legal guardian for anyone under 16 to open a social media account and notify parents or legal guardians if a child under 16 opens a social media account without consent.
- Prohibit data mining for users under the age of 18 and allow any individual to request the deletion of data that was mined while they were under the age of 18.
Munroe crafted the legislation after meeting Max Jin, Luka Jonjic and Dylan Schwartz when they were students at Tamanend Middle School in 2023. The three, who are now freshmen at Central Bucks High School South, won an award from C-SPAN for their documentary, America’s Silent
Struggle: Social Media’s Impact on Teens’ Mental Health.
The documentary featured a fictional newly elected congressman working to pass legislation on social media and its impact on the mental health of youth. After seeing the documentary, Munroe suggested turning fiction into reality and began working on the bill.
“Experts in child psychology are still learning the effects that social media has on developing young minds,” Munroe said. “As a father of two, I am concerned about not only the impacts social media has on my children, but also how it impacts every child.”
Network of Victims Assistance Bucks County Executive Director Penny Ettinger and Tamanend principal Dr. Brian D. Caughie also attended the news conference to lend their support to the legislation.
Munroe represents the 144th Legislative District comprising Ivyland, Warmister, Warrington and part of New Britain Township.
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CONTACT: Ryan Bevitz
House Democratic Communications Office
Phone: 717-787-7895
Email: rbevitz@pahouse.net
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