For many parents, the toughest battle at home isn't over chores or curfews—it's over screen time.
- Parent struggles with screen time: Michigan parent Jennifer Tuksal has tried multiple methods to limit her teenage sons' social media use, from time restrictions to blocking wifi access, but says none have been fully effective.
- New legislation proposed: Michigan Senate Democrats are pushing a four-bill package that would ban certain social media feeds for children without parental consent, require stricter data privacy settings, and block AI chatbots from reaching kids.
- Industry pushback: Tech advocacy group NetChoice, representing companies like Meta and Reddit, argues the proposed legislation violates free speech rights and mirrors other laws that have been struck down in court.
"It's something that's affecting every single one of us as parents," said Jennifer Tuksal.
Tuksal's sons are 18 and 15, and like so many teenagers, their lives revolve around their phones. She has tried multiple approaches to regulate social media use in her home.
"We've tried everything, we've tried you can't use the social media, limiting time, limiting hours, trying to set up wifi to block things," Tuksal said.
State lawmakers recently passed a bill that bans cell phone use in classrooms, but Tuksal says it's not enough.
"I think that the responsibility has to fall onto the social media companies to make their uses safe so they can have positive benefits without the negative," Tuksal said.
Now, Senate Democrats are pushing new bills aimed at protecting children from social media. The four-bill package would ban certain feeds for children without parental consent, require stricter data privacy settings and block AI chatbots from reaching kids.
"This is about providing parents with the necessary tools to keep their kids safe online," a Democratic lawmaker said.
Eight states already have some kind of online safety policies in place for young people and two, including Michigan, are considering similar legislation. Lawmakers say they're still working out how to verify users' ages while protecting privacy.
But industry groups say this legislation goes too far. NetChoice advocates for companies like Meta, Reddit and OpenAI, and said in a statement: "Unfortunately, this proposal mirrors others that NetChoice has seen struck down and halted in our cases because they violate Americans' rights to access lawful speech online. Unconstitutional laws protect no one, and we hope to work with Michigan policymakers on lawful solutions to increase digital safety."
For parents like Tuksal, the hope is simple: knowing her boys are protected even when she's not around.
"That they start providing safety by design so children can use platforms safely, parents have the confidence in that safety," Tuksal said.
Republican Speaker of the House Matt Hall said he'll look into the proposal.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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