Dothan, Ala. — A new bill introduced in the Alabama Legislature seeks to limit children’s access to social media in an effort to protect their mental health. Sponsored by State Rep. David Faulkner (R-Mountain Brook), the bill requires social media platforms to verify the age of their users. If a platform fails to verify and users are found to be under the age of 16, the company could face fines of up to $50,000.
Faulkner argues that the bill is necessary due to the growing concerns over the negative impact of social media on young people’s mental health. He cited rising levels of depression and anxiety among children and believes social media is a major contributing factor. “Children in today’s world are much more depressed, have much more anxiety,” Faulkner said. “It is attributed in large part, a lot of it, to social media.”
In addition to mental health concerns, Faulkner warned of the potential dangers posed by social media marketing to young users. “Take it on, not a criminal level, but take it to a marketing level,” Faulkner explained. “You could have social media feeding off of whatever that child is doing or following.”
However, not everyone agrees with the proposed bill. Faith Harrell, a student at Oak Mountain High School, expressed her concerns, emphasizing the benefits that social media can provide for young people. Harrell believes that platforms like Instagram and TikTok offer crucial opportunities for students to build personal brands, connect with their communities, and explore their passions.
“For me, it’s been really helpful,” Harrell said. “But I can definitely see how someone who has just been handed it and not supervised with it, how that can be detrimental to them.”
While Harrell acknowledges the risks of unsupervised social media use, she believes the solution may lie more in education and supervision rather than an outright ban. “It’s connection,” she explained. “It’s PR. It’s literally putting your best foot forward and being able to build a brand for yourself, which is so crucial to some of these young kids.”
Aaron Mackey, a policy analyst with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, also raised concerns about the bill. Mackey argued that restricting access to social media for young people could infringe on their First Amendment rights. He pointed out that social media has become a vital tool for communication, job searching, and maintaining relationships, and blocking access could limit their ability to engage with these forms of expression.
Mackey suggested that instead of banning social media for children, efforts should focus on getting parents more involved in their children’s online lives and implementing stronger regulations around how companies use personal data. He also noted that similar laws in other states have faced challenges in court.
Faulkner, however, remains firm in his stance, arguing that social media is causing more harm than good for children and that the state must take action. “We need to look at this responsibly, and we need to do that,” he said.
The bill is currently under review by the Children and Senior Advocacy Committee. If passed, the legislation could take effect as early as January 1, 2026.
