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Subcommittee advances substitute for Senate Bill 854 to limit minors’ daily social media use, adopts substitute in concept
Summary
The subcommittee voted 7–0 to report Senate Bill 8 54 as substituted after the sponsor described a substitute that removes an "addictive feed" provision and instead sets a default one-hour-per-day limit for minors with parental control and an adjusted age threshold.
The Subcommittee on Communications, Technologies and Innovations voted unanimously to report Senate Bill 8 54 as substituted after the sponsor presented a late-filed substitute that changes the bill’s approach to social media use by minors.
Senator Van Bokkenberg told the subcommittee the substitute removes the prior “addictive feed” language and instead requires platforms to “limit a minor's use of the service or application to 1 hour per day per service or application and allow a parent to increase or decrease the daily time limit.” The substitute also narrows the age threshold to protect minors under 16 (rather than under 18 in earlier drafts), restricts use of age-verification data solely for verifying age, and delays enactment from a July 1 start to January 1 of the following year.
Proponents and technical observers: Patrick Cushing, representing Meta, said the company had worked with the sponsor and that the substitute “mirrors a significant amount of what we already have for our teen accounts in Instagram.” Nick Surface, CEO of the Richmond Technology Council, called the revised language “on the right track” and said it was a workable compromise for many local tech companies.
Opponents and concerns: Margaret Durkin of TechNet cautioned that age verification is complex and that some children lack access to supporting documents; she said she could not state TechNet’s position without reviewing the substitute language. Brianna January of Chamber Progress said she shared safety goals but warned the one-hour default could be weaponized by guardians against vulnerable youth (including LGBTQ youth) and flagged cybersecurity concerns about third‑party age‑verification vendors. Testimony and questions during the hearing repeatedly noted ongoing litigation over similar laws in other states, including California and Texas.
Action and vote: The subcommittee first adopted the substitute in concept and then voted to report SB 8 54 as substituted; the clerk recorded the report vote as 7–0 in favor.
Why it matters: The substitute moves away from a technical “addictive feed” standard and toward a parental-control default time limit, a shift supporters said is more practicable for platforms and enforcers. Opponents urged caution on age verification, potential harms to vulnerable youth, and the risk of litigation.
What’s next: The bill, as substituted, will advance from the subcommittee to the full committee (the transcript records the subcommittee report and adjournment). The substitute language was described in concept during the hearing; the transcript records that final language would be provided before full committee consideration.
