Virginia parents will get some help as of New Year’s Day, when a new law to limit kids’ social media time takes effect.

And for Virginians bugged by unwanted sales pitches via text messages, there will be some help as of New Year’s Day, too.

Senate Bill 854, sponsored by state Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico, takes effect on New Year’s Day. It says operators of social media platforms shall limit the access of kids younger than 16 to an hour a day on each platform.

Irritating text messages were the focus of Senate Bill 1339, sponsored by state Sen. David Marsden, D-Fairfax.

It says that when you get a text message you don’t want, you can reply by texting “STOP” or “UNSUBSCRIBE,” and the solicitor has to stop bugging you — and to stop texting sales pitches to you for at least 10 years.

Meanwhile, under 2020 legislation, and as announced in July, Virginia’s minimum wage rises to $12.77 as of New Year’s Day.

Read the full story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.