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Senate committee passes Jordan bill to restrict social media access for users under 18 during overnight hours; bill passed by indefinitely after amendments
Summary
SB 1345 would require social-media platforms to restrict access for accounts used by minors during overnight hours; the committee excluded interactive gaming platforms and ultimately passed the measure by indefinite pass.
Senate Bill 1345, introduced by Senator Jill Vogel (sponsoring Senator Jordan in the committee discussion), would require social-media platforms to enforce limits on accounts held by minors, restricting access during overnight hours as drafted in the bill.
Senator Jordan and the bill’s supporters framed the measure as a public-health intervention, citing evidence linking insufficient sleep and late-night social media use to increased adolescent mental-health harms. A health official told the committee: "Sleep is important enough that schools bumped the start time from 7 AM to 9 AM in high schools...Insufficient sleep in teenagers is associated with increased risk of self harm, suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts."
Supporters said many platforms already offer parental controls and that the bill targeted social-media services rather than interactive online games; the committee adopted a line amendment to exclude interactive gaming platforms from the statutory definition of "social media account."
Industry witnesses pressed the committee on implementation risks. Eric Link of the Northern Virginia Technology Council testified that enforcement raises technical and fraud-deception issues, including virtual private network (VPN) use and time-zone spoofing that complicate platform-level age/time enforcement. The committee also considered whether civil liability language in the bill requires tighter implementation guidance or regulatory authority.
After debate the committee voted to pass the bill by indefinite pass (PBI) rather than sending a bill to the Senate floor immediately. Committee members requested a follow-up: the chair will send a letter to the Commission on Youth to study related issues in the interim.
Why it matters: The proposed restriction aims to reduce adolescent exposure to harmful late-night social-media interactions and to promote sleep; opponents warned the bill could be hard to implement and could shift liability to platforms absent clear technical standards or regulatory guidance.
