Regarding the harmful content included in the legislation, Texas Rep. Shelby Slawson who authored the bill explained that a Texas teenager “was rescued from a shed in North Carolina where she was being held by a predator who allegedly lured her away by a chat app.”
Slawson said she advocated for tech companies to flag and filter out such communications or content so that children would not easily face threats from predators or be exposed to cyberbullying.
“Parents would be given the authority to consent to the platforms their children interact with online,” the Rep. said.
Two tech companies and a non-profit free speech organization are suing against the law, citing First Amendment rights.
Other states have tried to pass similar legislation but were blocked. The Act was part of a growing movement nationwide to increase parental control over children’s social media.
According to a report by Techjury, sexual assault cases have increased by 300% through social media, with 48% child kidnapping victims were lured by online predators.
