The Joint Committee to Study the Effects of Media on Minors convened in Austin and adopted committee rules before a daylong hearing that included testimony from pediatricians, researchers, survivors and advocacy groups about the effects of social media on children.

The hearing focused on evidence and personal accounts that social-media platforms and related technology can be addictive, expose minors to sexually explicit material and enable trafficking and other harms. The committee’s work was created by recent legislation and members told witnesses they intend to carry bills this session that aim to limit those harms.

Why it matters: Witnesses described clinical and forensic evidence that exposure to explicit and violent online material, algorithm-driven feeds and targeted advertising can contribute to addictionlike behaviors, mental-health harms and, in some cases, sexual exploitation. Lawmakers repeatedly cited state and federal legislative options including age verification, default child-protective settings and limits on data collection as tools they are considering.

Dr. Lindy McGee, a Houston pediatrician testifying for the Texas Medical Association and the Texas Pediatric Society, said lawmakers should “make it less addictive and safer” and praised what she called provisions in the SCOPE Act that set default protections for minors. McGee urged limits on targeted advertising and data mining for under‑18 users and said platforms should set “the most protective settings” by default so parents do not have to change settings on each app.

Dr. Robert Epstein, a senior research psychologist who described a nationwide system his team built to capture ephemeral online content, told the committee his archive has preserved millions of examples of platform recommendations that he said are “court admissible” and which his group has used to press platforms to change behavior. Epstein said his system has collected more than 118,000,000 examples of content overall and “nearly 400,000 instances in Texas,” and that the effort cost about $7.5 million to build. He argued monitoring is necessary to prove large-scale, repeatable harms rather than isolated “glitches.”

Several witnesses described links between online pornography and exploitation. Joshua Broom, a pastor who spent years in the adult film industry, and Deasia Wiggins, a 22‑year‑old youth peer counselor who testified about her experience in foster care, described early exposure to sexually explicit material and how apps and group chats can lead to grooming, sextortion and trafficking. Wiggins urged lawmakers to require age verification and accurate app ratings for app stores so children cannot download inappropriate material by default.

Heidi Olson, a pediatric forensic nurse, told lawmakers that a substantial share of sexual‑abuse incidents she examines involves perpetrators who are themselves minors. “The age range most likely to commit [sexual assaults] are 11 to 15‑year‑old males, with 14‑year‑old males being the highest risk,” Olson said, summarizing data she and colleagues have seen in practice and urging policies that reduce children’s exposure to violent sexual content.

Witnesses and lawmakers discussed a range of policy responses, many of which have been or will be filed as Texas legislation: default protective settings on apps, banning targeted ads to minors, age verification before access to adult content, parental lists of who minors may message, school‑device filters and limits on schoolissued screen time. Several witnesses said federal bills — the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and proposals to update the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) — would help but that Texas should not wait for federal action.

Committee business: Before hearing invited testimony, the committee adopted its rules by roll call. The chair declared the rules “adopted” after senators and representatives present registered aye votes in sequence. The transcript records affirmative responses from several members; a summary action record appears below.

Absent major platforms: Lawmakers noted that representatives from major social media companies — Meta, Snapchat, TikTok and X — declined invitations to testify at the hearing. Members and witnesses said the companies’ refusal to appear has been a recurring obstacle to oversight.

Next steps: Chairs and members said the committee will continue fact‑gathering in advance of the next legislative session. Members signaled interest in filing bills on age verification, school device controls and platform design that reduces addiction mechanics, and they invited witnesses and advocacy groups to help refine proposals.

Votes at a glance: The committee adopted its default joint committee rules by roll call before the hearing began; the chair announced the rules “are adopted.” The transcript records affirmative votes from named members and shows the clerk conducted a roll call.

— Ending —

The hearing included two panels of invited witnesses followed by public testimony from parents, advocates and representatives of social‑service groups. The joint committee recessed after public testimony and will reconvene for further work in the interim.