ICYMI: Since taking office, Governor Glenn Youngkin has taken decisive action to protect Virginians from the Chinese Communist Party.  

Youngkin has banned China from purchasing agricultural land in Virginia and prevented the CCP from using a battery plant as a Trojan Horse in the Commonwealth.  

He has taken on the CCP app TikTok directly, banning the app on state devices and saying the app is “a channel to the Chinese Communist Party, and their continued presence represents a threat to national security, the intelligence community, and the personal privacy of every single American.” 

Now, Youngkin is taking on TikTok again, this time to protect Virginia’s children from the harmful influence of the CCP-controlled app. 

As part of a Youth Mental Health Strategy unveiled last week, Youngkin announced new legislation to restrict access to TikTok for children under the age of 18.  

“The impact of the Chinese Communist Party-affiliated TikTok on our children’s mental health has been detrimental,” Youngkin said. “That’s why we are introducing legislation to restrict access to TikTok for children under 18 in Virginia.” 

WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Youngkin unveils plan to restrict TikTok for Virginians under the age of 18 

Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) announced Thursday his intentions to restrict those under the age of 18 from accessing TikTok in Virginia. 

The governor made the announcement on the first anniversary of his mental health initiative titled "Right Help, Right Now." This is the same initiative that created the 988 suicide and crisis hotline. While Youngkin hadn't issued any policies surrounding mental health and social media, as the initiative enters its second year, Youngkin is demonstrating his shift there as a press release from his office estimates children spend roughly five hours a day on social media. 

WAVY TV: Is time up for youth on TikTok? Gov. Youngkin seems to think so 

Gov. Glenn Youngkin revealed his strategy to address youth mental health on Dec. 14, at the one-year anniversary of the Right Help, Right Now Initiative. Step one: restrict TikTok. 

As part of this plan, Youngkin said he wants to “protect minors from TikTok’s predatory influence in the Commonwealth of Virginia.” This includes restricting the social media platform for those under 18 years old. 

RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH: Here's why Youngkin wants to ban TikTok for kids under 18 

Gov. Glenn Youngkin wants to ban the popular social media app TikTok for anyone under the age of 18 as concerns mount that social media is causing a host of psychological problems in children and adolescents. 

If approved, it would be a significant move to limit the world’s most used social media platform. 

John Littel, Youngkin’s secretary of Health and Human Resources, told the State Board of Health that TikTok uses “addictive” and “aggressive” tools to hook young viewers. 

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