BOSTON — Facebook, Instagram and other social media companies would be required to limit social media activity for teens and deactivate “addictive” features for younger users, under legislation unveiled by Gov. Maura Healey on Tuesday.
The proposal, which Healey touted in her State of the Commonwealth speech in January, would require social media companies to turn off location tracking features, disable notifications and restrict platform access overnight and during school hours, limiting teens use to two hours per day. For users ages 15 or younger, only a parent or guardian can modify the default settings, under the proposal.
Social media companies would also be required to implement an age verification system and set “strong default safety” settings for users under 18, according to Healey’s proposal. They would also have to disable addictive design features such as infinite scroll, auto-play, and algorithm-based feeds that critics say are designed to keep young users watching.
“This isn’t a ban,” Healey, a first-term Democrat, told reporters at a Statehouse briefing. “There’s a value to social media — we all use it — but there’s a time and a place for that, and there has to be limits.”
Healey said the restrictions are needed to curb the use of social media apps among young people which she said is “driving a tremendous amount of anxiety, and hurting kids.
“That happens because these platforms, these social media companies, have designed their products to be addictive and to exploit young people’s insecurities.”
Healey’s proposal, which will require legislative approval, is the latest on Beacon Hill aimed at curbing what many have called a youth “crisis” over the effect of social media on the mental well-being of teenagers.
Social media companies are increasingly blamed for rising rates of depression, suicide and other mental health issues among youth nationally. In response, states and local governments are coming under pressure from advocates to pass legislation and take legal action to crack down on social media use.
“Their products are designed to keep children hooked to the screen, leading to serious mental health harms, sexual exploitation, and even suicide,” said David Monahan, campaign director Boston-based Fair Play, which advocates for social media restrictions for teenagers. “As parents and citizens, we must not allow this to continue.”
Attorney General Andrea Campbell is among a bipartisan group of 42 attorneys general suing Meta Platforms Inc. and other social media outlets, alleging features on Facebook and Instagram are addictive and aimed at kids and teens. The outcome of that lawsuit is still pending.
Last week, the state House of Representatives approved a bill that would require social media platforms to block users 14 and younger. The platforms will be required to get “verifiable parental consent” for users aged 14 or 15 and give parents access to data and content submitted by minors.
The bill will require school districts to educate students in “age-appropriate ways” about the responsible use of social media, including potential harms to emotional and mental health and bullying. It would also restrict cellphone use during the school day by requiring districts to ban students from using most electronic devices during school hours.
The state Senate approved a bell-to-bell cellphone ban last year, but it didn’t include a social media ban. Differences between both bills would need to be worked out by negotiators before a final version heads to Healey’s desk.
If the legislation is approved, Massachusetts would join a growing number of states — including New Hampshire, California, Florida and New York — to ban or restrict cellphones in schools, part of a broader effort to remove classroom distractions for students as concerns about their mental health mount.
At least 80% of Massachusetts school districts already have some type of cellphone restrictions in place, according to the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.