Updated April 14, 2026, 5:03 p.m. ET
- Her proposal would require social media accounts to have default settings to limit usage to two hours a day for all users under 18.
- This legislation will be included in the supplemental budget that Healey is set to file in the afternoon on April 14.
- Healey said she views her legislation as “complimentary” to the House passed bill.
Less than a week after the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a social media ban for children under 14, Gov. Maura Healey announced new measures to combat social media harms on Tuesday, April 14.
The legislation, which Healey said she views as “complimentary” to the House-passed bill, would take a variety of actions meant to limit kids’ usage of social media, including turning off location sharing features, banning notifications during school hours and requiring notifications about the effects of social media on your health.
“Some of us enjoy scrolling at the end of the day. But there’s a time and a place for that,” Healey said at a press conference April 14. “What we also know to be true is that social media is driving a tremendous amount of anxiety and hurting kids in a number of different ways.”
Healey had originally proposed social media reforms in her 2026 State of the Commonwealth address. This legislation will be included in the supplemental budget that Healey is set to file in the afternoon on April 14.
What’s the difference between Healey’s bill and the House-passed bill?
The Massachusetts House passed a bill on April 8 that would ban social media use for children under 14 by requiring social media platforms to implement an age-verification system.
Healey’s proposal takes a different tactic.
Her proposal would require social media accounts to have default settings that limit usage to two hours a day for all users under 18. It would also “deactivate addictive features,” like infinite scrolling and autoplay, and “end addictive algorithms” that target content to young people based on what they viewed in the past.
“This is not a ban, but it is deactivation,” she said.
Healey is also proposing turning off location sharing on social media applications, adding strong privacy protections, banning notifications during school hours and overnight and requiring social media sites to regularly remind users about the negative impacts of social media on your health.
The legislation would require parental consent to change any of these default settings for users ages 15 and under. If a parent goes to change the settings, they would also get a message about the risks that children face from unlimited social media usage.
“The bottom line is we’re taking steps here in Massachusetts to protect our young people,” Healey said. “The social media platforms have already shown that they are not responsible care takers or protectors of our young people. So I want to take the power away from social media platforms and big tech companies, and put it back in the hands of our young people and our families.”
Healey said that she views her legislation as a “further contribution” to the Legislature’s efforts, adding that she’s “thrilled” to see their bill pass the House.
Why is Healey filing this legislation? Dangers of social media on kids
According to Healey, research shows that teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of depression and anxiety. Middle and high school students, she said, spend 3 ½ hours a day on average on social media.
Another study, she continued, showed that greater social media use by 14-year-olds led to increased risk of online harassment, poor body image, low self-esteem and higher depressive symptoms, with a higher impact on girls.
Healey was joined by teachers and students who shared their own experience with the impact of social media on teenagers.
Phil O’Connor, the president of the Lynn Teachers’ Union, said that he has noticed that it’s taking kids longer into the school year to get comfortable talking to each other in person because they are more used to it on their phones, and that many students suffer from body dysmorphia because of social media.
And Emma Perry, a senior at Everett High School, said that she sees in her peers a constant need for validation stemming from their social media use. Plus, she said, they share so much online without knowing the safety and mental health risks.
“As young people, we are not asking to be disconnected. We are asking to be protected,” Perry said. “This legislation helps to create a healthier balance by putting real safe guards in place for youth which is essential to ensuring our safety as the presence of social media only grows.”
