These bills force device manufacturers to check ages at app stores. Your kid opens Safari instead. Instagram works through a browser. So does TikTok. Or they use a friend's phone. Parents think their kids are protected now. That's the real danger. False security while the exact same harmful content keeps flowing.

Social media gets to keep destroying kids.

Pornhub backs this bill publicly. So does Grindr. Meta spent $24 million lobbying for it. Adult content platforms want this law passed because device manufacturers handle all the liability, while platforms serving harmful content get a free pass. When the arsonist writes your fire code, you've got a problem.

Companies harming kids love these bills.

Meta's own research proved Instagram wrecks teen girls' mental health. Facebook execs knew their algorithms were pushing kids toward eating disorder content. They did nothing. This bill doesn't touch any of that. Device manufacturers verify age at download. Then Instagram serves whatever its algorithm decides anyways. Zero new restrictions on the actual harm.

Parents are already in the driver’s seat.

Texas passed its version. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction within months. Multiple constitutional problems: compelled speech, age restrictions on lawful content, privacy violations, etc. You're not protecting kids. You're passing legislation that gets struck down while kids stay exposed during three years of appeals.

Courts strike the bills down as unconstitutional.

Don't want your 12-year-old on social media? Don't give them a smartphone. Problem solved. This bill doesn't give parents any new tools. It creates government permission slips they'll approve without reading, exactly like Terms of Service. Kids who want access will find workarounds before dinner.

Platforms get legal cover and kids get hurt.

Parent approves Instagram on the App Store. Then Instagram's algorithm spends three years feeding depression-inducing content to kids. When she develops an eating disorder, who's liable? Instagram points to the app store approval. Device manufacturer points at Meta's content. You built a liability shield. Bottom line: the kids get hurt while the social media companies get a pass.

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