TikTok Ban For Kids Under 18 In VA Proposed By Gov. Youngkin

RICHMOND, VA — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin wants to implement a ban on the popular social media app TikTok for anyone under the age of 18 as part of his ongoing efforts to address youth mental health in the state.

While Youngkin has yet to take any action, he announced his intent to restrict the platform during a speech Friday at the first anniversary of the Right Help, Right Now Initiative.

"I'm announcing that I will introduce legislation to restrict youth access — those under 18 — to TikTok. Full stop. We will introduce the bill," Youngkin said.

According to a Richmond Times-Dispatch report, Virginia legislators plan to introduce multiple bills when the General Assembly convenes next month to address TikTok and other mechanisms used by social media companies.

To enforce a ban, Youngkin’s secretary of health and human resources John Littel told the State Board of Health that state leaders would work with providers and impose penalties on TikTok if it fails to adequately restrict minors’ access to the platform in Virginia, according to the Times-Dispatch.

Earlier this year, the state of Montana passed a first-in-the-nation law banning TikTok in the state; however, a federal judge blocked the legislation last month, one month before it was scheduled to go into effect, The Associated Press reported.

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said Montana's ban "oversteps state power and infringes on the Constitutional right of users and businesses."

In December 2022, Youngkin issued an executive order banning the use of TikTok and WeChat mobile apps on state devices and state-run wireless networks. In the order, Youngkin argued the apps developed by China-based companies pose a threat to U.S. national security.

Under Youngkin’s executive order, businesses that contract with the state of Virginia also are prohibited from using the apps on state-owned devices or information technology infrastructure.

"We are taking this step … to secure state government devices and wireless networks from the threat of infiltration and ensure that we safeguard the data and cybersecurity of state government," Youngkin said last year.

According to the U.S. surgeon general, 95 percent of teenagers use social media and about one-third say they use it "almost constantly."

On average, teens report using social media for an average of 3.5 hours per day.

According to the surgeon general, children and adolescents on social media are inappropriate and harmful content, and those who spend more than 3 hours per day on social media sites face an increased risk of experiencing depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.