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posted by janrinok on Saturday January 11 2020, @02:12PM   Printer-friendly
from the making-a-point dept.

Vermont bill would ban cell phone use by anyone younger than 21:

A bill has been introduced in Vermont's legislature that would prohibit anyone under 21 years old from using or possessing a cell phone. However, the bill appears to be more about gun rights than cell phones.

The bill, introduced Tuesday by Democratic Sen. John Rodgers, says those under the age of 21 "are not developmentally mature enough" to posses and use cell phones safely. The bill cites fatal car crash and bullying among teens as reasons for the proposed legislation.

"The use of cell phones while driving is one of the leading killers of teenagers in the United States," according to the bill (PDF). "Young people frequently use cell phones to bully and threaten other young people, activities that have been linked to many suicides."

The bill would make possession or use of a cell phone by anyone under 21 punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The bill says that if those under 21 "aren't mature enough" to possess guns, smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol, then the same rule should apply to cell phone use. In recent years, the state has passed laws raising the minimum smoking age to 21 and prohibiting the sale of firearms to anyone under 21.

[...] "I have no delusions that it's going to pass. I wouldn't probably vote for it myself," he told the newspaper.


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  • (Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Sunday January 12 2020, @12:04AM (1 child)

    by SomeGuy (5632) on Sunday January 12 2020, @12:04AM (#942346)

    Well, that's just my personal opinion, there are a lot of things in this world that I think should be different, but it's not like I can change.... umm... I'm talking to you, but you have your face buried in a cell phone... oh, cat videos... that is so important... by the way, you know we are standing in a warehouse and you really should be watching out for **WHOMP**SPLAT**CLINK**MEOW**CRUNCH**... forklifts. Ok, never mind.

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  • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Monday January 13 2020, @03:21AM

    by Immerman (3985) on Monday January 13 2020, @03:21AM (#942628)

    Think of it as an easy filter - these days you can talk to somebody for just a few minutes and get a fair sense of how high courtesy, respect, and attention span rank in their personal virtues. Used to be it could take months or years to get an honest assessment.

    As for forklifts, etc... evolution in action. I see no benefit in saving people from their own terminal recklessness. The one place I think society has cause to object is when someone is using their phone while operating dangerous machinery like cars. And there I really think we should take a hard line - at *least* several months of license suspension on the first offense, on top of reckless endangerment charges, for using your phone while operating a moving vehicle or other heavy machinery.