ATLANTA — A bill in the Georgia legislature would try to restrict the access of public school students to social media while at school.
The bill takes on social media use at schools among children who are 16 or younger. It does not, however, restrict their cell phones.
And its critics say that is a huge flaw.
The bill’s title purports to "protect Georgia’s children on social media." The target is public schools, where the bill’s sponsor said children should have only very limited access to social media.
"This makes sure our schools are creating safe environments for our kids and families," said state Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas), a father who dropped the bill with support from Republican Lt. Governor Burt Jones.
Both Jones and Anavitarte have been working with education leaders, online safety advocates, and legal experts to create the bill, according to a release.
What the legislation would do
- The bill prohibits social media providers from giving accounts to children under 16 without parental consent.
- It orders local school boards to adopt social media policies by this summer – blocking access to children, but only on school equipment or school WiFi without parental consent
- It also allows the state to withhold funding from school systems that are noncompliant.
Kindergarten teacher Lisa Morgan said the bill is well-intentioned but it overlooks the largest source of social media access in school. She is also president of the Georgia Association of Educators.
"The vast majority of our students who are accessing social media or any other websites during school time are using their personal devices," Morgan said.
Morgan said many public school teachers fight a daily losing battle against student cell phone use during school days when students text or go on social media while class is underway.
"I don’t think this is going to address that issue at the classroom level. It’s why many of our educators are so frustrated with student devices becoming a distraction during instruction," Morgan said.
The bill’s sponsor admits that parents will have more impact than any new state law.
"At the end of the day, parents need to control what’s going on in their kids' lives. Being upfront, checking their devices, what are they searching for, what are they looking at," Anavitarte said.