Overview
- A Morena deputy in Puebla has introduced a bill that would obligate parents or guardians to limit access or registration of children under 16 on social networks, and the measure was sent to the state Commission of the Family and the Rights of the Child for analysis.
- The federal Secretary of Education has announced consultations with teachers to evaluate restricting cellphones in schools, an exercise intended to inform possible national guidance on school device rules.
- The Puebla proposal frames its measures as proportional rather than an absolute ban and would add the legal category of “digital social network platforms” to state law while requiring officials to consider age, maturity and best interests.
- Legal and rights experts warn that blunt age bans can face constitutional challenges and drive adolescents to unregulated services, citing France’s annulled under‑15 ban and academic critiques of broad causal claims about social media and youth mental health.
- Child‑rights groups and some researchers urge regulators to focus on platform design and business models through 'safety by design' rules rather than placing enforcement burdens on parents and schools, noting 17 states already limit phones in classrooms and debates over effectiveness continue.