A Republican proposal that sought to ban minors from accessing TikTok failed to make it out of the House of Delegates committee in the Democrat-controlled Virginia Legislature, The Hill reported.
The bill, introduced by Republican Delegate Jay Leftwich last month, failed to progress out of a House of Delegates committee, effectively stalling it due to missing a procedural deadline that required legislation to be approved by its chamber of origin.
The bill underwent several revisions, with its final iteration stipulating that TikTok and its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance must not allow children in Virginia to access the app. Leftwich, during a committee hearing, stated that "The whole platform — especially for minors — is to get them engaged and kind of hooked into watching these things. And it leads them down different rabbit holes, and they sit there for hours and hours watching these things."
Had the bill passed, it would have permitted parents or legal guardians to sue TikTok for violations, with possible damages of up to $75,000 for each instance a child accessed the platform.
TikTok has been scrutinized for the potential risks it poses to young users. In a statement, the company claimed it implemented measures such as a 60-minute usage limit for users under 18.
"We work hard to support teens’ well-being on TikTok with an automatic 60-minute time limit for users under 18, restrictions on direct messaging, parental controls, and more," a spokesperson from the company said in a statement. "We've long said bans, like the one proposed in this legislation, are not only the wrong approach, but also raise significant First Amendment concerns."
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, has previously expressed his intention to seek a ban on TikTok for minors and has already issued an executive order prohibiting the app on state government devices, a move mirrored by other states and the federal government.
Newsmax reached out to Leftwich for comment.
Nick Koutsobinas ✉
Nick Koutsobinas, a Newsmax writer, has years of news reporting experience. A graduate from Missouri State University’s philosophy program, he focuses on exposing corruption and censorship.
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