Iowa Representative David Young is optimistic that a bill that limits social media access can go a long way to improving social skills.

Young shares that House File 2523 passed the House with overwhelmingly majority support. The file deals with giving parents more control over social media for children under the age of 18. 

Young discusses that there’s been many studies revolving around the serotonin in applications like TikTok that cause people to become addicted, which sees them lose time in trying to find that next “high.” He states that other schools around the country have made the decision to ban cellphones in the classroom and how that has positive effects on performance and social skills.

“School work has improved, bullying has gone down, the body image and self-esteem has gone up, and better communication between adults and their children, and children and their friends in schools and teachers and kids has gotten better and increased. And so, there’s got to be a healthy balance here where we can take advantage of this technology. Have a little fun with it in a responsible way, but be cognizant too that it’s good to just to be present in life without all that technology sometimes.”

Young thinks that social media can also be beneficial in connecting with others that aren’t accessible every day but understands the dangers behind the exposure of pornography and the bullying nature.