Massachusetts one step closer to social media ban for kids. How will it be enforced and what are the consequences?
The Massachusetts House of Representatives voted 129-25 Wednesday night to pass legislation that would ban all children under age 14 from using social media in the state.
Kids ages 14 and 15 would need parental consent to use social media.
The bill, considered one of the most restrictive in the country, also calls for a statewide ban on cellphones in schools, which was passed by the Senate last summer.
Attorney General Andrea Campbell is tasked with implementing the social media ban starting October 1, 2026. When asked for comment about the plan to implement the ban, her office would only issue this statement:
"It is critical that we hold tech companies accountable for designing social media platforms that keep young people addicted and wreak havoc on their mental health. I am grateful that the Legislature is taking this issue seriously, and I look forward to working with them on next steps."
"Very, very complex"
Tech expert Peter Tran said implementing such a sweeping ban will be logistically challenging.
"From a technology standpoint, it is very, very complex," Tran, a cybersecurity and technology expert, told WBZ. "First, you have to define what constitutes social media. So, that in and of itself is difficult, because the criteria is very broad. Second is to determine age verification. Right now, you could sign up for an account, and you can, you know, forge your birthdate, and have a separate email address, there are a number of workarounds right now."
The bill calls for social media companies to pay a $5,000 fine for each violation – meaning, for each social media account found to be out of compliance. WBZ asked Meta, Tiktok, Snap, and X for comment but received no reply.
In addition to the challenge of implementing strict age verification systems, the bill could require enhanced technology to apply the ban only in Massachusetts.
Tran said doing so would open a "Pandora's box" for privacy concerns.
"If you're going to try to enforce Massachusetts state boundaries you have to enforce that location services be turned on, if that's the case," Tran said. "And so that brings a lot of debate from a security and data privacy standpoint, especially for minors."
Is October 1 deadline possible?
The biggest challenge, Tran says, is the October 1 deadline. "That's very aspirational," he said.
When asked whether they've discussed the complexity of a ban with the Attorney General, House Speaker Ron Mariano said, "The Attorney General is well aware of the issues surrounding the threat to children's health and wellbeing, so I don't think there will be a real learning curve for her to get up to speed."
The bill, which is an amended version of the Senate's school cellphone ban, still needs to be passed by the Senate and signed by Gov. Maura Healey. Lawmakers told WBZ-TV that the governor has been working on her own plans to limit kids' social media access, and that they've been in touch with her about her plans.
