Commonwealth Beacon, April 2026
Twenty-two year after Facebook first began buzzing across college campuses around Boston — still bearing “The” at the start of its name — parent company Meta and the other companies it inspired are at a tipping point in Massachusetts. The state House of Representatives voted earlier this month to ban anyone 13 years old or younger from using various platforms, and to require age verification and parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds.
Two days later, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that a state lawsuit against Meta can proceed, puncturing the tech giant’s attempted immunity defense under a federal law known as Section 230. And last week, Gov. Maura Healey went live with her own proposal, which calls for significant new limits on the potentially addictive features that social media can offer to young users while stopping short of an age-related prohibition.
