HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio) - Attorney General William Tong announced he is seeking state legislation to prohibit social media companies from exposing minors to harmful and addictive algorithms and notifications without parental consent.
The legislation, modeled after similar measures in New York, California, and Utah, would also establish a series of default settings regarding account privacy, time of use and notifications, including barring notifications between midnight and 6 a.m. and limiting social media use to one hour per-day.
Parental consent would be required to alter the default settings.
“Our teenagers spend hours each day glued to social media, with dire consequences for their learning, relationships and mental health," said AG Tong.
"We need to protect our children with the increased access they have to the online world," said Senator James Maroney (D-Milford) Chair of the General Law Committee.
"I am pleased to support the Attorney General's efforts to protect children from the dangers of unregulated social media use. Just as we do not permit minors to consume alcohol or cigarettes, we must shield them from the mental health risks and addictive behaviors associated with unchecked digital exposure,” said Rep. David Rutigliano (R-Trumbull) Ranking Member of the General Law Committee.
In addition to strong new default protections, the legislation proposed by Attorney General Tong would require social media companies to annually report to the state the number of minors on their platform, the number of minors with parental consent to use addictive algorithms, and the average amount of time per day a minor spends on the platform, broken down by both age and time of day.