Some Alabama lawmakers are considering legislation in the 2025 legislative session that would limit children’s access to technology.
During a recent work session of the State Board of Education, State Superintendent Eric McKee mentioned potential legislation to regulate cellphones. Board members have voiced support in the past, Social media may also be age-restricted.
“That’s not something we can do as a board,” he said.
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Alabama Department of Education spokesman Michael Sibley said Monday that McKee “ He is looking into both issues as much as he can.”
No bills on those issues have yet been introduced for next year’s session, which begins in February.
Rep. Teri Collins (R-Decatur), chairwoman of the House Education Policy Committee, said Tuesday she supports legislation restricting cellphone use in schools.
“I don’t know how popular it will be, but I think it’s the right thing to do for education,” she said.
Collins said she doesn’t think cell phone use is good for kids. She said she limited cell phone use when her children were young and her granddaughter doesn’t have one now. But she said she’s not sure whether Congress is taking the right steps to limit social media.
“I think parents need to be involved in those decisions,” she said.
There have been previous efforts to limit technology use in schools. Rep. Lee Halsey (R-Helena) Introduced a bill in the past year The bill, which would have placed limits on internet use on school-owned devices, failed to pass the House of Representatives.
Hulsey said in a text message Tuesday that she wasn’t ready to comment.
Republican Rep. Ben Robbins of Sylacauga said Tuesday he is working on legislation regarding social media use.
One of the bills included an education component on how to use social media appropriately in schools. Robbins said he introduced a bill on social media safety in schools last session but that it was different from the bill he’s currently working on.
He said it was similar to a bill imposing social media restrictions signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in March. Intended for people under 16 years of age.
Robbins said he is in discussions with other groups, including nonprofits and technology organizations that hold social media to account, to work out the details.
“I don’t want to say too much because we are still in discussions with stakeholders so something may be removed or parts of the bill may be negotiated out, but essentially the goal is to make social media safer for children and to prohibit children from accessing and using social media,” he said.
He said there is debate about whether a “top-down” approach to regulation is the best route, or whether it should come from the district. He said Yonder… Students who lock away their cell phones during class – “Some Benefit” The pouches are sealed with a magnet and opened for the student at the end of the day.
The bill could be introduced National debate about cell phone use in schools. Some states are moving to ban cellphones in schools, citing them as a distraction during class, and some parents worry they won’t have a way to contact their kids during the day.
last month, The Surgeon General’s Office has issued recommendations on social media and adolescent mental health, including guidance on limiting children’s social media use and creating technology-free zones for families. In an op-ed published in The New York Times earlier this month, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for social media to carry warning labels stating that “social media poses significant harm to adolescent mental health.”
