HOUSTON — From TikTok to Facebook, some influencers are making pretty big claims about the military draft. Videos and posts say Gen Z is on the verge of being drafted, not just the men but the women. Some of the most viewed videos claim that the draft has already started and Americans aged 18 to 26 years old will soon be called up to fight an unnamed war.
Those claims are not true. Right now, all American men must register for the selective service once they reach the age of 18. If not they face up to a $250,000 fine and possibly up to five years in prison.
A new bill in front of Congress might be sparking all these rumors. It would automate the process of registering for the selective service, which is already required by law.
Women are still not required to register for the draft but that hasn’t stopped people from making that claim on social media. There is a proposed bill to expand selective service to include women but political watchers say it has little chance of becoming law -- at least right now.
This is not a new idea. In 2020, a panel of military experts told Congress that women should be included in the draft. As these false claims race around social media, Zoomers should remember that the draft has not been activated in the U.S. in more than 50 years.