Fetterman Backs Bill Limiting Social Media on E-Rate, ECF Networks
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., signed on Tuesday to the Eyes on the Board Act (S-3074) hoping to limit children's access to social media at school. Under the bill, schools receiving federal E-rate and emergency connectivity fund money must block access…
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to distracting and addictive social media apps or websites on subsidized services, devices and networks. Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz of Texas and two other Republicans filed the measure in October (see 2310180042). It would require schools receiving ECF and E-rate funding to limit screen time, similar to what the Children’s Internet Protection Act already requires. In addition, it would mandate an FCC-created database of schools’ internet safety policies. “Social media is a powerful tool, but spending too much time on it can significantly hurt anybody’s well-being,” Fetterman said in a statement from Senate Commerce Republicans. “It even contributed to my own mental health struggles. Cyberbullying and online harassment are real. We need to make sure that at school, our children are focused on learning, and E-rate will do just that.” Cruz praised Fetterman Tuesday for joining “this bipartisan effort to protect kids in the classroom and give parents information with the transparency needed to know that their children are safe.”