Republican lawmakers are proposing blocking kids from accessing social media in schools that receive federal broadband subsidies.
Republican lawmakers are proposing blocking kids from accessing social media in schools that receive federal broadband subsidies.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
), Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), the bill would require that schools prohibit youths from using social media on their networks to be eligible to for the E-Rate program, which provides lower prices for internet access.
While the program is broadly supported by Democrats on Capitol Hill and at the Federal Communications Commission and some prominent Republicans, top GOP congressional leaders including Cruz and conservative activists have lashed out against it as a form of wasteful government spending.
Under the existing program, schools and libraries are ineligible to receive its benefits unless they certify that they have an “Internet safety policy,” including protections against child pornography or other obscene or harmful material.
“Addictive and distracting social media apps are inviting every evil force on the planet into kids’ classrooms, homes, and minds by giving those who want to abuse or harm children direct access to communicate with them online,” Cruz said in a statement.
The campaign has gained steam amid building bipartisan concern over the potential negative mental health impact social media platforms can have on younger users.
The shift is poised to unlock the agency’s Democratic agenda, including efforts to broaden internet affordability programs and to restore broadband regulations such as the Obama-era net neutrality protections.
The original article contains 698 words, the summary contains 210 words. Saved 70%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
What a great solution: take a legitimate problem and make a big deal about banning an otherwise useful technology, where that will be ineffective and wouldn’t solve the problem anyway