Overview
- Governor Maura Healey announced a proposal, filed in a spending bill, that requires platforms to set under‑18 defaults to a two‑hour daily limit and to switch off infinite scroll, autoplay, overnight and school‑hour notifications, and location tracking.
- The rules would apply to all minors by default and would need a parent’s consent for children 15 and under to change those settings, though how a two‑hour cap would work across many apps remains unclear.
- Healey endorsed the House’s recent vote to ban social media accounts for children under 14 and to restrict access for 14‑ and 15‑year‑olds, calling her feature limits a complement that targets how apps are built to keep users engaged.
- Her office said it worked with Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s team to prepare for First Amendment challenges, with a recent green light for Massachusetts to sue Meta and a California jury’s negligence verdict against Meta and Google setting the legal backdrop.
- Supporters such as the Massachusetts Teachers Association cite classroom distractions and a need for clear baseline rules, while critics warn that House age‑verification ideas raise privacy and speech risks and could cut off vital online support for some teens.