RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia teens under 16 will soon face limits on their social media usage after Governor Glenn Youngkin signed new legislation into law.
The law requires social media companies to set default time limits of one hour per day for users under 16 years old, with parents having the ability to adjust that time up or down.
"It's a good first start, and it's a good way for parents to be able to have better control over how much social media their kids are on," said Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D - Henrico), who co-sponsored the legislation.
VanValkenburg, who teaches in Henrico County schools, has witnessed the impact of excessive social media use firsthand.
"You see how much it hinders their ability to do well in school, and you see how much it hinders their socialization with their friends," VanValkenburg said.
He said among the social media platforms that would be subjected to the legislation include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Pinterest, and YouTube.
It would not apply to platforms that only provide email or direct messaging services.
The legislation underwent several changes during the legislative process.
It initially contained language that would have banned addictive feeds for anyone under 18, but that version was rejected in the Virginia House of Delegates.
VanValkenburg noted that the revised approach gained support from major social media companies like Meta.
"What is contained in the bill actually mimics a significant amount of what we already have for our teen accounts in Instagram," Meta lobbyist Patrick Cushing said during a Feb. 17, 2025 hearing on the bill. "So, Instagram has already moved to this type of restriction and so this codifies that plus some."
Youngkin attempted to add amendments to raise the age back up to 18 and ban infinite scroll features.
While VanValkenburg said he supported these changes, they were ultimately rejected by lawmakers.
Looking ahead, VanValkenburg indicated that additional restrictions might be considered in the future.
"I think we really need to continue to look at the tools that social media sites use to keep kids on their applications and we also need to make sure that the content that they're pumping out to kids is appropriate," he said.
Companies that do not comply with the legislation could be subjected to fines under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
The new social media restrictions won't take effect immediately. The law has a delayed implementation date of January 1, 2026.
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