RICHMOND, Va. — Governor Glenn Youngkin is facing calls to consider changes to a bill passed by the Virginia General Assembly that would impose strict time limits on social media use for minors under 16. The legislation, which aims to curb excessive screen time, would restrict these minors to just one hour of social media use per day on each platform unless parental approval is given to modify the time limit.
In a letter sent to the governor, the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) urged Youngkin to amend the bill by adding provisions that would require platforms to create age-appropriate online experiences for children, in addition to implementing screen time restrictions.
Marissa Edmund, FOSI’s State Policy Lead, argued that while limiting screen time is an important step, it does not address the broader challenges children face while using social media. “Excessive screen time is just one issue that children face when they’re online, and it doesn’t address the issues that occur while they are online, whether that time limit is one hour or six hours,” Edmund said. “We want to encourage platforms to create age-appropriate experiences for children.”
FOSI also called for a more standardized system that would allow parents to more easily manage their children’s social media use. Edmund explained that with the vast number of apps available to children, parents would have to manually adjust the time limits for each individual platform, which could prove cumbersome.
However, Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg, the bill’s sponsor, rejected calls for significant changes. “It’s really that hard for a parent to have a conversation three times if the kid has three apps or to click the button three times for the three different apps?” he said. VanValkenburg emphasized that the bill had been carefully designed to avoid legal challenges, particularly those related to First Amendment rights. “We really wanted to make sure that this was a bill that could get through the courts and go into effect right away. We don’t want to get everything bottled up and not actually protect kids,” he added.
In response to the calls for modification, a spokesperson for Governor Youngkin noted that the governor is currently reviewing the 917 bills passed by the General Assembly. “It’s common that during this time, hundreds of stakeholders write letters seeking action,” the spokesperson stated.
As the debate continues, it remains to be seen whether Governor Youngkin will make adjustments to the bill before it becomes law. The proposal has sparked widespread discussion on how best to balance screen time limits with the need for safer and more age-appropriate online experiences for children.
