Bipartisan support for Youngkin’s amendments to kids’ social media protection bill

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- With the General Assembly set to return to Richmond on Wednesday, there is bipartisan support for Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed amendments to a bill that would limit minors under 16 to one hour per day per social media platform unless they get permission from a parent to increase or decrease the limit.

“We’re looking out for kids, looking out for their academic progress, looking out for their mental health, and looking out for their ability to just be with their friends and family,” said the bill’s author, Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico). 

Youngkin proposing raising the age to all minors under 18, and including language to allow parents to disable certain features that automatically feed minors content like the auto-playing of videos and infinite scroll, something that is expected to receive bipartisan support. 

“I think anytime we're giving parents more say over what’s going on in their children's lives, particularly in the content they’re consuming online, I think that is a very, very good thing. I think that’s a strong position for us to be in,” Delegate Mike Cherry (R-Colonial Heights) told 8News. 

However, VanValkenburg does say that the new language added by the Governor, allowing parents to modify what types of feeds their kids can see, could face challenges in court. 

“Do I think that the tech companies will sue if this part goes into law? Probably,” VanValkenburg said. “Do I think that they’ll be successful? No. Do I think that the other parts of the bill that we passed in February will be upheld and go into effect? Yes.” 

If the General Assembly accepts all of Youngkin’s amendments on Wednesday, the new law will take effect on January 1, 2026. If either chamber rejects any of his changes, the bill will then head back to Youngkin for his consideration.