Vermont Sen. John Rodgers wants to ruin teenagers’ lives.
The Democrat this week introduced a bill that would prohibit anyone under 21 from using or owning a cell phone.
Citing distracted driving, bullying, and extremism as teenage problems, Rodgers claims that minors “are not developmentally mature enough to safely possess” a handset.
“Just as the General Assembly has concluded that persons under 21 years of age are not mature enough to possess firearms, smoke cigarettes, or consume alcohol,” he added.
There’s no question that texting and driving can prove lethal: Nearly 300 people died in crashes involving a distracted teen motorist in 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
But Rodgers’ argument that cell phones are involved in 1.6 million automobile accidents a year and 11 teenagers perish in U.S. car crashes every day* is weak: There is no direct correlation between the two.
Slightly more credible is his anti-bullying defense.
“Young people frequently use cell phones to bully and threaten other young people, activities that have been linked to many suicides,” Rodgers’ bill said.
He goes on to describe how the internet and social media—”accessed primarily through cell phones”—are used to “radicalize and recruit terrorists**, fascists, and other extremists.”
And explains that “cell phones have often been used by mass shooters** of younger ages for research on previous shootings.”
Sorry to burst your bubble, Senator, but taking away someone’s mobile phone won’t stop them from harassing people, allying with the wrong crowd, or doing research.
For that, you’d have to ban computers, social networks, and the internet as a whole. While you’re at it, why not close libraries and start burning books, too?
No, kids under 21 can’t buy guns, cigarettes, or alcohol—but they can get someone else to do it for them. Ever heard of a fake ID?
Even Rodgers is skeptical about his bill, which was introduced to make a point about firearms.
“I have no delusions that it’s going to pass,” he told the Times Argus. “I wouldn’t probably vote for it myself.”
According to the legislation, possession or use of a cell phone by anyone under 21 would be punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
* Via the U.S. Department of Transportation
** Average age of jihadists in the US is late 20s; average age of shooters in the US is early 30s
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