Senate Bill 351, also known as the "Protecting Georgia's Children on Social Media Act of 2024," aims to combat cyberbullying and address concerns over how social media impacts children's mental health. The measure would require children younger than 16 to seek parental permission before creating social media accounts.
The legislation would also prohibit students from accessing social media on school devices and on school Wi-Fi, as well as require the Georgia Department of Education to develop and update instructional programs that teach students about online safety and the appropriate use of social media starting in the 2025-2026 school year.
The Georgia State Board of Education would review each school's technology protection measures and could be authorized to withdraw funding for schools if they fail to enforce social media policies that meet the legislation's standards.
Cyberbullying in Bibb County
In the Bibb County School District, 333 out of 5,806 middle and high school students reported being cyberbullied last year, according to the 2023 Georgia Department of Education Student Health Survey.
Although the response numbers for cyberbullying were small, 21% of Bibb County middle and high school students said they always feel stress, while 28% said they feel stressed occasionally.
Data from recent years show that Macon-Bibb County youth are suffering from mental health problems more than other adolescents around the state.
Local health care advocates credit the area's high poverty rate to bullying, which leads to poor mental health.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and State Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas) introduced this legislation back in January.
"We believe Senate Bill 351 is an important step forward in protecting Georgia's children and giving them the tools they need to be safe in their use of social media and other technologies," Jones said in a news release.
Opponents warn the bill would bring issues in classrooms. State Rep. David Wilkerson (D-Powder Springs) said the ban of social media use in schools could prevent teachers from showing educational videos to students, the Associated Press reported last week.
Victoria Nash, Macon resident and parent of a 9-year-old, said she doesn't believe the new measure will help prevent anything.
"We can put all the laws we want in place but if parents aren't parenting and watching what their kids do, accounts will still be made and bullying will still happen," she said.
The Bibb County School District declined to speak on the topic.
"Unfortunately, this is not something our team is prepared to speak on at this stage of the legislative process, with potential changes and their unforeseen impacts," district spokesperson Jeremy Timmerman said in an email.
Bibb County School District students can anonymously report bullying through the Let's Talk and Safe4Bibb apps, according to spokesperson Stephanie Hartley.
"Students are encouraged throughout the year to report concerns related to bullying/cyberbullying and safety to a trusted adult, teacher or school administrator," she said in an email.
When will Senate Bill 351 be enacted?
The House passed the bill 120-45, and the Senate approved it 48-7 on March 28, according to the Georgia General Assembly. It now awaits Gov. Brian Kemp's signature or veto.
Jones said he looks forward to the bill becoming law so "we can begin to address the very serious issues surrounding social media and its impact on our children's mental health."
Middle schools reported more cases of cyberbullying at or away from school compared to high or elementary schools during the 2021-2022 academic school years, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
About 3% of 418,705 Georgia middle school and high school students reported they had been mocked or harassed by other students on social media a few times, according to the 2023 Georgia Department of Education Student Health Survey. About 7% of students said they were cyberbullied at least once or twice.
The survey does not account for the total enrollment of over 1.65 million Georgia students during that time, as students are not required to fill out the survey, according to the education department.
"I will never apologize in the fight to protect Georgia's youth. Social media can be a very useful tool, however there are instances in which we must reign in Big Tech in order to protect the health and safety of our children," Jones said.
© 2024 The Macon Telegraph (Macon, Ga.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
