Vermont State Senator Proposes Bill Banning Cellphone Use For People Under The Age Of 21

The Vermont lawmakers Friday considered a bill that would make it illegal for anyone less than 21 years of age to use or own a cellphone.

Democratic Sen. John Rodgers, who represents the Essex-Orleans area, introduced the bill Wednesday as a way to cut down on cyberbullying, deaths from distracted driving and teen suicide. It would make owning or using a cellphone a misdemeanor and could be punishable by a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

“The internet and social media, accessed primarily through cellphones, are used to radicalize and recruit terrorists, fascists and other extremists,” the bill reads. “Cellphones have often been used by mass shooters of younger ages for research on previous shootings.”

Because the state Legislature determined people under the age of 21 weren’t “mature enough” to smoke, drink alcohol, or buy guns, the measure says, the same thinking should apply to cellphones.

However, Rodgers was not hopeful about the bill’s chances.

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

He said he introduced the bill to make a point. Rodgers is an outspoken supporter of the Second Amendment and said the Vermont Legislature is “bent on taking away our Second Amendment rights.” He referenced the issue in the bill, talking about how suicide prevention was a key point when the Legislature passed a bill that required a 24-hour waiting period to buy a handgun.

The bill was vetoed by Republican Gov. Phil Scott.

Rodgers argued cellphones play a more active role in teen suicide than handguns, making them more dangerous.

Michelle Fay, executive director of Voices for Vermont’s Children, argued while technology plays a role in how teens and younger children treat each other, isolating phones doesn’t make sense because of access to computers. She then asked Legislature not to get bogged down debating the bill.

“There are so many critical issues impacting the lives of working families in Vermont today, from increasing minimum wage to implementing equitable family and medical leave insurance programs to establishing an office of child advocate,” she said in a statement. “We urge the Legislature to focus on the important work at hand instead of getting tied up in hollow diversions.”