Vermont bill would ban anyone under the age 21 from using or possessing a cellphone at any time

While not expected to have any chance of becoming law, a bill proposed in the Vermont state Senate this week would ban anyone under the age of 21 from using or possessing a cellphone.

The controversial bill was introduced by Democratic state senator John Rodgers on the first day of Vermont’s 2020 legislative session. The bill would make cellphone possession or use a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of a year behind bars and a $1,000 fine, according to the Times Argus.

According to The Barre Montpelier Times Argus, the bill would make it a misdemeanor to those under 21-years-old to have a cell phone. Young adults caught with a cell phone could face up to a year behind bars and a $1,000 fine.

“Young people frequently use cell phones to bully and threaten other young people, activities that have been linked to many suicides,” the bill states.

“In light of the dangerous and life-threatening consequences of cell phone use by young people, it is clear that persons under 21 years of age are not developmentally mature enough to safely possess them.”

The bill says the Vermont Legislature concluded that if people under 21-years-old are not mature enough to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and possess a gun, then they shouldn’t be allowed to have a cell phone either.

According to the Vermont newspaper, the state recently increased the smoking age to 21 and barred people under 21 from purchasing a gun unless they take a hunter safety course.

The bill was proposed by Vermont State Senator (D) John Rodgers. The senator told The Barre Montpelier Times Argus that he is trying to make a point and that he has, “no delusions that it’s going to pass. I wouldn’t probably vote for it myself.”

According to the paper, Rodgers says he is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, and the state legislature is trying to take away those rights by increasing the legal age.