Fact Check Team: New proposals aim to restrict minors' access to social media
WASHINGTON (TND) — Research shows that 20% of kids think their parents have no idea what they’re doing online but new legislation in Utah will change how children and teenagers can use social media, which makes it the first state to limit kids' social media use by law.
Utah's Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed two bills into law: one, to limit when and where anyone under the age of 18 can be online and two, to stop companies from luring kids into using addictive features and ads.
Under the new law, which will take effect next year, social media companies will have to make a curfew for minors. This means they won’t be able to use their accounts from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
The legislation has seen some pushback from tech companies because platforms like TikTok and Snapchat make money through ads.
California also has a law that requires social media companies to consider the physical and mental health of minors that use their platform. The law, which will go into effect in July of 2024, also bans social media platforms from using a child user’s information for any reason other than intended and from using children’s information in a way that could negatively impact their physical or mental health.
Other states are taking measures similar to Utah’s new laws. For example, a proposed law in Arkansas would require anyone under 18 to get permission from their parents to join a social media site. There's also a bill that has been proposed in Ohio that requires anyone under 16 to get parental consent.
Lawmakers in New Jersey recently introduced a bill that would crack down on underage addiction by requiring social media and gaming sites to conduct audits to determine whether it has any feature that has the “potential to cause, or contribute to the addiction of child users to the platform.” The law would impose a $250,000 fine on each violation.
There are also federal proposals that have not made it very far in Congress.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., recently introduced a bill that would ban all American users under the age of 16 from using social media and require the Federal Trade Commission to audit social media companies for violations every six months. The bill would also create a “private right of action” which means parents can sue social media companies if they are not compliant.
