Staff Reports
Once upon a time in the great state of New Jersey, some genius lawmakers got together and thought, “Hey, let’s make it even harder for kids to have fun on the internet!” Democratic state Assemblyman Herb Conaway, who apparently doesn’t have anything better to do, has come up with a new proposal that would require parental consent for any kid who wants to sign up for social media. Good grief, Herb!
New Jersey weighs restrictions on minor social media use | Just The News https://t.co/lTttd8WU9E
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) January 9, 2024
Under this ridiculous proposal, anyone under 18 would need their parents’ permission to join popular social media sites like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. Not only that, but children would be forbidden from even chatting with adults on these platforms. It’s like they want to suck all the fun out of social media!
But wait, it gets even better. In this wild scheme, parents would have to fork over their government-issued ID and credit card info to the social media gods and slap down a 35-cent fee just to let their kids join the virtual party. And if those sneaky social media companies dare to let a kid slip through the cracks, they could be hit with a hefty $2,500 fine. Talk about big government overreach!
Of course, Assemblyman Conaway has some fancy talking points about protecting the children and holding companies accountable, but let’s call this what it really is: a total buzzkill. He’s out here acting like the internet is some kind of terrifying monster out to get our kids. Newsflash, Herb: It’s called parental responsibility, not government censorship!
As if that wasn’t enough, the proposal is creeping into other states too. Utah has already hopped on the helicopter parent train by requiring parental consent for kids under 16 to access social media. And don’t even get started on California, where they’re too busy micromanaging tech companies to worry about real issues.
But here’s the best part: liberal groups like the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and Garden State Equality are all up in arms about this proposal. They’re saying it’s unconstitutional and would stomp all over the First Amendment. Bravo to those folks for finally seeing the light!
And let’s not forget about New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who signed a bill last year to study the “effects of social media usage.” What’s next, a study on the effects of breathing air? Come on, folks, let’s leave the internet alone and focus on something that actually matters!
