Vermont introduces bill banning cell phone use by anyone under 21

[Cal Jeffrey]

WTF?! There is a bill on the floor of the Vermont General Assembly that looks to ban minors under 21 years of age from owning or even possessing a cell phone. Violators could be fined up to $1,000 or imprisoned for up to a year. However, before you start freaking out, you should know it is not a bill that was meant to be passed.

A new bill in Vermont proposes banning the use of cell phones by minors. The proposed legislation, S.212, would forbid anyone under 21 from possessing or using a cell phone, and carries penalties of up to one year in prison and/or a $1,000 fine.

The legislation points out the detrimental effects of teenaged cell phone use, including cyberbullying and distracted driving. However, lawmakers are not likely to pass the bill.

Democratic State Senator John Rodgers, who introduced the legislation, told local news outlet Times Argus that he knows it will be voted down.

“I have no delusions that it’s going to pass,” the senator said. “I wouldn’t probably vote for it myself.”

“I have no delusions that it’s going to pass.
I wouldn’t probably vote for it myself.”

He claims he brought it to the floor it to make a point aimed at other legislative measures recently passed by the assembly. Rodgers, unlike many of his fellow Vermont democratic colleagues, is a vehement supporter of the Second Amendment.

“[The Legislature] seems bent on taking away our Second Amendment rights,” he said. His bill is more or less a protest statement to that trend.

In 2018, the state passed a law banning anyone under 21 from buying a firearm unless they have passed a hunter safety course, which Rodgers opposed. Even the language of S.212 sarcastically bashes the gun ban.

“In light of the dangerous and life-threatening consequences of cellphone use by young people,” the short, two-page bill reads. “It is clear that persons under 21 years of age are not developmentally mature enough to safely possess them, 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.”

The bill also mentions suicide prevention, which was a talking point used in another gun control proposal that imposed a 24-hour waiting period on gun sales. That legislation passed in the assembly, but Governor Phil Scott vetoed it.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/83497-vermont-introduces-bill-banning-cell-phone-use-anyone.html

 

[3volv3d]

I can think of 100 reasons why this is great and 0 why it would be bad.
But then I can't see this happening anywhere, this needs to happen in the UK.

 

[ckm88]

Cell phones, unfortunately, seem to be a necessary evil.

 

[DelJo63]

My My. Proves there are STILL parents that care about the development of their children.

Of course the horse is out of the barn on this one, but the social issues that attend the question, REALLY deserve open discussion -- and it's not about my "online friends" (whom by the way you've never met F2F -- how many of us have ever done so?).

Walk down any Metro street and 75% or more are so engrossed in staring into a phone that they will walk blindly into a RED LIGHT corner in front of on coming traffic (actually present to observe this).

WE need to monitor our online usage and ask, "AM I OCD ON THE INTERNET ACCESS?"

Dare you to lay down the smart phone for 48 hrs (heck, try even 24) and watch

• how you feel as the time progresses
• what you do when you don't go inline.

Lots of info on "Social Engineering" is online and if you're BOLD enough to read up on the subject -- how do you feel -- like a lemming?

 

[spac18]

Well, this is the state that elects Crazy Bernie, so not surprising I guess

 

[yRaz]

This law was proposed to make a statement about how dumb some laws are, they aren't serious about passing it.

 

[Evernessince]

This law was proposed to make a statement about how dumb some laws are, they aren't serious about passing it.

Too late, it's already been decontextualized and used a million times by news outlets for free clicks.

 

[Scshadow]

I would support an actual smartphone ban for under the age of 18. Make kids use dumb phones until they are adults.

 

[Ravalo]

I can think of 100 reasons why this is great and 0 why it would be bad.
But then I can't see this happening anywhere, this needs to happen in the UK.

I have 1 reason:

Tiktok would close down, so around 1 million yt would burn out eventually

And slazo is 18 yrs old

 

[Squid Surprise]

Um... the bill was meant as a protest against anti-gun laws... it's NOT left-wing, it's RIGHT WING.

This was meant to state that if we shouldn't be allowed to own firearms, then young people shouldn't be trusted with cell phones...

Glad to see all these commentators read the entire thing

 

[psycros]

Honestly, I'd support a ban on smartphones for anyone under 17. Flip phones were more practical and more reliable and kids are spoiled rotten by excessive gifts of expensive technology. Their also using them to cheat in school a lot. Time to start a movement.

 

[Impudicus]

This just reminds me that working in politics is much like high school.

 

[wiyosaya]

My My. Proves there are STILL parents that care about the development of their children.

Of course the horse is out of the barn on this one, but the social issues that attend the question, REALLY deserve open discussion -- and it's not about my "online friends" (whom by the way you've never met F2F -- how many of us have ever done so?).

Walk down any Metro street and 75% or more are so engrossed in staring into a phone that they will walk blindly into a RED LIGHT corner in front of on coming traffic (actually present to observe this).

WE need to monitor our online usage and ask, "AM I OCD ON THE INTERNET ACCESS?"

Dare you to lay down the smart phone for 48 hrs (heck, try even 24) and watch

• how you feel as the time progresses
• what you do when you don't go inline.

Lots of info on "Social Engineering" is online and if you're BOLD enough to read up on the subject -- how do you feel -- like a lemming?

I actually had some almost certainly less than 21-year old boy start walking into the intersection against the light and right in front of my car while I was entering the intersection. I beeped my horn at the dolt, and he threw me the finger, but the dolt did stop walking, though.

On that dare, I have a smart phone, but no data plan. I use the smart phone, other than for the rare call or text message to a friend, as a tool. I particularly find "Sheets" useful for a project I am working on - but I do not share the spreadsheet to the web. That dare of yours would be trivial to me.

I recently posted this to another thread, but it is particularly relevant here, too.

Honestly, I'd support a ban on smartphones for anyone under 17. Flip phones were more practical and more reliable and kids are spoiled rotten by excessive gifts of expensive technology. Their also using them to cheat in school a lot. Time to start a movement.

Well, smart phones can be useful if they are controlled by the user and not the other way around where the smart phone, because of addiction, controls the user.

About them being used to cheat, they used to ban calculators when they were a thing way back in the dark ages. They could ban smart phones from tests, or other situations where cheating is possible, now.

However, maybe its time for parents to step up and teach responsible smart phone use.

Oh wait! Silly me! Most parents have no clue what responsible smart phone use is.

Interestingly enough, I have seen billboards in may area that show a parent in their car with their children in tow that shows the parent texting while driving and the billboard says "What kind of driver are you teaching your children to be?" Not that those will do any good.

 

[Cal Jeffrey]

Honestly, I'd support a ban on smartphones for anyone under 17. Flip phones were more practical and more reliable and kids are spoiled rotten by excessive gifts of expensive technology. Their also using them to cheat in school a lot. Time to start a movement.

I mostly agree. I have two kids (13 and 17) and they both have iPhones. I would probably rather they had an old flip phone, but they do use them for things other than watching YouTube and playing games such as looking up stuff and using the calculator when doing their homework. Also I monitor the you-know-what out of their usage including random confiscations to go through their messages, and calls. Well not so much the 17 y/o. He's going to be 18 in June so.... but my 13 y/o daughter.

My point is, and this is where my disagreement lies, is that it is not the phone it is the parents not giving a crud about what their kids are doing with them. The contemporary mentality is "Hey, kid. Here's a smartphone. Now leave me alone." It's sad but true.

 

[DelJo63]

Cell phones, unfortunately, seem to be a necessary evil.

sigh; the sole reason I have one is business connections -- I would just as soon drop it in the toilet.

 

[bandit8623]

Cell phones, unfortunately, seem to be a necessary evil.

not really. can you survive without one? yep
are they very convenient? yep

 

[3volv3d]

The problem is that we invent stuff, with no idea where it will take us, we can not see the future. Although that isn't quite true.

I actually had some almost certainly less than 21-year old boy start walking into the intersection against the light and right in front of my car while I was entering the intersection. I beeped my horn at the dolt, and he threw me the finger, but the dolt did stop walking, though.

On that dare, I have a smart phone, but no data plan. I use the smart phone, other than for the rare call or text message to a friend, as a tool. I particularly find "Sheets" useful for a project I am working on - but I do not share the spreadsheet to the web. That dare of yours would be trivial to me.

I recently posted this to another thread, but it is particularly relevant here, too.

Well, smart phones can be useful if they are controlled by the user and not the other way around where the smart phone, because of addiction, controls the user.

About them being used to cheat, they used to ban calculators when they were a thing way back in the dark ages. They could ban smart phones from tests, or other situations where cheating is possible, now.

However, maybe its time for parents to step up and teach responsible smart phone use.

Oh wait! Silly me! Most parents have no clue what responsible smart phone use is.

Interestingly enough, I have seen billboards in may area that show a parent in their car with their children in tow that shows the parent texting while driving and the billboard says "What kind of driver are you teaching your children to be?" Not that those will do any good.

Kids have the luxury of using tablets and phones within schools for lessons, they are considered a normal part of society. And while there is the argument for paperless, books and materials accessible by these things, they also break and use resources, and there is probably twice as much paper used up, when it comes to keeping track of them and their warranties.

The youth of today also have the luxury of learning things like coding which back in my day knowing what ROM / CD-ROM / WORM meant, was the smartest things you could probably learn about PCs.

But I don't feel they are smarter, because they don't need to retain the information, as they can use phones, tablets, and calculators, and in tests I believe.

Not to mention tests are dumbed down here in the UK, because our newer generations still have less attention span than other countries, and our government thinks its smart to put ill prepared kids into school or university.

The gap of information between Secondary and University(college for you yanks) is so big a lot of kids struggle and want to quit.

Just seems to me that technology advances and we start to de-evolve.

 

[StupidPeopleSuk]

Having personally witnessed at least 5 ADULTS injure themselves recently, because they were staring at their phones while attempting to navigate up or down stairs, curbs, or doorways, I can attest to the fact that youngins are not the only ones who need this ban....

SO lets just call it the "Self-inflicted Stupido Prevention Act of 2020" and get on with it...

PS< someone should have thought of this like 15 years ago, or whenever the 1st so-called "smartphone" was designed....

 

[Lew Zealand]

I don't see the problem.

Evolution is happening and it's mechanism is to strip people who can't tear they eyeballs away from FB or Pokemon Go of either their life, or more commonly, their money thanks to added doctor's visits. Good time to get into the medical field.