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House adopts floor substitute for bill letting parents set time limits for minors on social media
Summary
The House approved a floor substitute to Senate Bill 854 that creates a parental-control framework allowing parents to set a minimum one-hour daily limit for minors on covered social media platforms; the measure passed by voice vote with an announced tally of 97-0.
The House of Delegates on Feb. 20 approved a floor substitute to Senate Bill 854 that, as described on the floor, gives parents the right to regulate their children’s use of social media by establishing a one-hour minimum central control that parents may increase or decrease.
The bill’s sponsor on the floor, Delegate Thomas, said the measure “will give parents the right to regulate their children's use of social media and protect them,” and described the floor substitute’s technical changes, which add language for interactive gaming, a neutral age-screen mechanism and verifiable parental consent.
Clerks and the presiding officer announced the bill passed after the substitute was adopted; the official roll call was not read aloud but the clerk announced “Ayes. 97. No 0.” The bill was brought from the printed calendar and debated briefly on the floor before the voice votes adopting the substitute and passing the bill.
Why it matters: supporters said the legislation is aimed at protecting minors from harms associated with social platforms and creating a mechanism for parental control and consent; opponents were not recorded asking for a roll-call reversal and no recorded no votes were announced.
What the bill does: as described on the floor, the adopted substitute adds definitions and technical language to expand the measure to interactive gaming and to require mechanisms such as verifiable parental consent and neutral age-screening tools. The transcript shows the sponsor moved passage after the floor substitute was adopted and the presiding officer instructed the clerk to close the vote.
Next steps: with House passage recorded on Feb. 20, the bill will proceed according to the legislative calendar and any remaining Senate or enrollment steps required under the General Assembly process.
