Proposed Ballot Measure Forbids Smartphone Sales For Children Under 13
DENVER (KDKA) -- A group in Denver is collecting signatures on a proposed ballot measure that would forbid the sale of smartphones for children younger than 13.
CBS News reports that the proposed ballot measure would require cellphone retailers to ask customers purchasing smartphones about the age of the phone's primary user. Retailers who violate the rule would receive a warning before facing a $500 fine.
Tim Farnum, a Denver-area father, is leading the campaign. CBS Denver says Farnum is part of a group called Parents Against Underage Smartphones, which is headed by three doctors, a nurse and a medical student.
"The kids aren't playing out there anymore," Farnum told CBS Denver back in May. "There are certain critical stages of development that are not happening."
Democratic state Sen. John Kefalas told The Coloradoan that he thinks the ban would overstep the government's role and smartphone regulation "should remain a family matter."
CBS News says Colorado officials have cleared the ballot measure's language, and backers now need about 300,000 voter signatures for the proposal to make the 2018 ballot.
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