Texas state Rep. Jared Patterson on Monday proposed revising his earlier effort to restrict social media access for minors, shifting his focus to stronger age-verification requirements for platforms operating in the state.
Patterson, a Republican from Frisco, said he plans to modify legislation that previously sought to block minors below a certain age from creating social media accounts. He said the updated proposal responds to growing international moves to ban or limit teenage access to social media and to concerns about the impact of online platforms on children.
Patterson said the new approach would require social media companies to use stricter age-verification tools to ensure users meet a minimum age before opening or maintaining accounts. He said the proposal would apply broadly to major platforms that allow users to create profiles, share content and interact online, based on set user and revenue thresholds, rather than targeting specific companies.
He said the plan could include parental consent provisions, limits on how platforms collect and use data from minors, and penalties such as fines for companies that fail to comply. Enforcement would likely fall under state agencies responsible for consumer protection or digital commerce.
Patterson said he intends to file the revised legislation in the next Texas legislative session and will consult lawmakers, legal experts, educators, child health specialists and technology firms. He said he is reviewing legal challenges in other states to ensure the proposal can withstand constitutional scrutiny.
The proposal is expected to draw debate over privacy, free speech, parental rights and the state’s role in regulating online activity for minors.
