This week, Republican Senator 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.
The Making Age-Verification Technology Uniform, Robust, and Effective Act (MATURE Act) would also “hold social media companies accountable by creating an audit process and a private right of action,” said the senator.
Similar legislation has already been proposed in Texas. Before the start of the state’s 88th legislative session, Republican state Rep. Jared Patterson proposed House Bill 896, which would ban minors from using social media. Greg Sindelar, the CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, spoke with KRLD’s “Texas Wants to Know” podcast about his support for legislation.
“Children suffer every day from the effects of social media,” said Hawley this week. “At best, Big Tech companies are neglecting our children’s health and monetizing their personal information. At worst, they are complicit in their exploitation and manipulation. It’s time to give parents the weapons they need to strike back.”
When “The Facebook Files” leak of information regarding social media was released last year, it brought more attention to the impact of social media on younger users. According to some research – including studies cited by the Mayo Clinic – social media has had a negative impact on mental health for young Americans.
“In short, yes, social media can have negative consequences for our mental health,” said Jessica Holzbauer, a licensed clinical social worker at Huntsman Mental Health Institute.
Youth mental health has been a concern in recent years. New data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 22% of high school students surveyed had seriously considered suicide and 42% felt sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks in a row in 2021.
However, results of a Pew Research Center study released last summer revealed that more than half of the teens surveyed (55%) believed they spent the right amount of time on social media. A little more than a third (36%) thought they spent too much time on social media apps such as TikTok (the most popular app for the 13 to 17 age group) and Instagram.
On Tuesday, the same day Hawley introduced the legislation, the Nature journal published commentary on the link between social media and teen mental health.
“Most of the scientific evidence on the impact of social media and other online activities on adolescent mental health is inconsistent,” it said. “Some studies might report similar effects, such as small negative correlations between time spent on social media and measures of well-being, but researchers differ in how important they think such findings are.”
Research from Harvard also reveals that social media safety for young users is a complex issue without simple answers.
“Teens need us to stop painting their social media experiences in broad strokes,” said an article from the university’s Advanced Leadership Initiative. “Screen time limits are not a panacea, and one-and-done school lessons about digital detoxes won’t save us.”
In the same vein, Caleb Milne, vice chair of the Collin County Democratic Party, told “Texas Wants to Know” that a social media ban isn’t likely to 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 the proposed Texas legislation.
In addition to calling for a minimum age for social media use, Hawley also introduced the Federal Social Media Research Act to fund a study tracking the impact of social media on children over 10 years old and commission a report on the harms of social media.
“It’s long past time for well-funded research on the scale of the problem,” said Hawley. “We must set the precedent that these companies can no longer take advantage of our children.”
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