A bipartisan team of U.S. senators introduced legislation this week that would require social media apps to set a minimum age of 13 for users.
“The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media apps and would require parental consent for 13 through 17-year-olds,” said a press release from Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).
In addition to Schatz, Sen Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) helped introduce the bill, which “would also prevent social media companies from feeding content using algorithms to users under the age of 18.”
This isn’t the first time that lawmakers have tried to put limits on access to social media for minors. In February, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced two bills related to use of social media by children, including one that would enforce a minimum age of 16 years old to use any social media platform. Studies have shown that excessive social media use can have a negative impact on mental health for young users.
“The growing evidence is clear: social media is making kids more depressed and wreaking havoc on their mental health. While kids are suffering, social media companies are profiting. This needs to stop,” said Schatz. “Our bill will help us stop the growing social media health crisis among kids by setting a minimum age and preventing companies from using algorithms to automatically feed them addictive content based on their personal information.”
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research cited by Schatz indicates that 57% of high school girls and 29% of high school boys felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021. Overall, 22% of all high school students reporting they had seriously considered attempting suicide in the preceding year.
There are also concerns about social media stunts such as the Benadryl “challenge” on TikTok that reportedly resulted in the death of a 13-year-old boy in Ohio this month.
Research cited by Schatz also indicates that from 2019 to 2021, overall screen use among teens and tweens (ages 8 to 12) increased by 17%.
His press release said the U.S. Surgeon General has warned that 13 is too early for social media use and suggested that 16, 17, or 18 may be as well.
“There is no doubt that our country is facing a growing mental health crisis and a deteriorating culture of violence,” said Sen. Britt, who is a mother. “Children and teenagers across our nation are dying, families are being devastated, and our society is withering. The only beneficiaries of the status quo are social media companies’ bottom lines and the foreign adversaries cheering them on. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to enact the commonsense, age-appropriate solutions needed to tackle this generational challenge.”
However, Caleb Milne, vice chair of the Collin County Democratic Party, told KRLD’s “Texas Wants to Know” that a social media ban might not improve things for children in the U.S.
“The more we tell them not to do something, the more they’re going to want to do it,” he said. “So, I don’t think this is the right approach, despite being well intentioned,” Milne said of similar legislation proposed in Texas.
If the “Protecting Kids on Social Media Act” passes, it would: require rigorous age verification measures from social media companies, prohibit children under the age of 13 from using social media, prohibit social media companies from recommending content using algorithms to users under the age of 18, require a guardian’s permission for users under 18 to create an account, create a pilot project for a government-provided age verification system that platforms can choose to use and provide the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general authority to enforce the provisions of the bill.
