Commentary: Protecting children, bullying, and false reporting among bills passed by state senate

This week, Senate Republicans advanced many bills, including legislation to protect children from social media, bullying and cyberbullying, and penalizing those who falsely report an active shooter. Finance, Ways and Means Committee is the only committee open, meeting several times next week with the full Senate meeting three times to discuss bills that have passed through committees.

Protecting Children from Social Media Act passes Senate

It is vital to ensure the safety and well-being of Tennessee youth in the digital age. With the exponential growth of social media platforms, the Protecting Children from Social Media Act aims to safeguard children from harmful content found on social media platforms.

The evidence is clear: social media has harmful effects on children, teens and young adults. Oftentimes young children create social media accounts without their parent’s knowledge or consent. The unsupervised use of social media by children is not only inappropriate but can be potentially harmful to those children. This legislation puts parents back in the driver’s seat of their children’s social media usage. It lays out clear steps social media companies must take to verify the ages of users to protect Tennessee children and empower parents.

The bill would require social media companies to verify the age of any individual creating an account on their platform. If the account holder is a minor, the company must obtain express consent from the parent or guardian for the account creation.

Additionally, the bill would require social media companies to provide parents and guardians with account restriction options for their children. These restrictions include privacy settings, daily time restrictions, and implemented breaks from the platform. Senate Bill 2097 passed the Senate and House floor and now moves to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

Legislation penalizes false reports of active shooter

The Senate passed legislation this week to increase protections against the intentional false reporting of emergencies in Tennessee, often referred to as “swatting.” Senate Bill 2222, a bill I am sponsoring, would make it a Class C felony to knowingly make a false report of an active shooter and hostage situation in order to draw a large law enforcement response to a specific location. It is already illegal under state law to intentionally make a false report regarding a past, present or future bombing or fire. The legislation now moves to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

Increasing protections from bullying and cyberbullying

Legislation passed on the Senate floor this week to further protect students in Tennessee from bullying and cyberbullying. My bill, Senate Bill 1887, would classify the crimes as forms of harassment and require an officer who has knowledge of bullying or cyberbullying to make a report of the incident and notify the parent or guardian when the victim is a minor. The bill now sits on the Governor’s desk and awaits his signature.

Threats of violence

The Senate floor passed legislation this week strengthening the punishment for threatening to commit mass violence on school property or at a school-related activity in Tennessee. Senate Bill 2263 would increase the crime from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony. The legislation includes an exception for individuals with an intellectual disability. The bill now awaits the Governor’s signature. If approved, the new law would take effect July 1, 2024.

It is an honor to serve as your state senator. Next week, I look forward to sharing more with you about news and updates in the General Assembly. In the meantime, please continue to reach out to my office on issues of interest and importance at 615-741-1946 or sen.adam.lowe@capitol.tn.gov.