But earlier momentum behind the Texas measure slowed at the eleventh hour in the state Senate as lawmakers face a weekend deadline to send bills to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. Abbott has not said publicly whether he supported the proposed ban, which was opposed by tech trade groups and critics who called it it an unconstitutional limit on free speech.
The legislative session ends Monday. That leaves a narrowing path for the proposal that, if passed, would set up another test of state efforts to set boundaries on how and when children can access social media.
The proposed Texas ban aimed at minors is the latest move in a growing bipartisan push nationwide to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children. Critics accuse platforms of using addictive functions to lure children onto their site and keep them there, and of not doing enough to curb violent or age-inappropriate content, or online abuse.
States and countries have passed various measures to address the problem, and some have run into legal challenges.
