Social media platforms hold a great deal of content, but not everything is fit for the eyes of younger folk like teenagers. The legislation will bring new limitations with access when it comes to teenagers aged 13 to 17, with stricter rules for users below that bracket.
Introduction of the Bill
A group of bipartisan senators created the bill with the purpose of protecting children from harmful content on social media. The bill, named Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, will place an age limit of 13 for the minimum wage to be eligible for social media use.
Anyone 12 years old or younger will not be able to use the platforms, while teenagers between 13 years old to 17 years old will require parental consent. This bill will require social media companies to take on the responsibility of restricting users until they are of age.
The senators behind the bill are Democrats Brian Schatz and Chris Murphy, along with Republicans Tom Cotton and Katie Britt. The senators stated that there are studies showing a strong relationship between social media use and poor mental health, according to Engadget.
What that being said, the US Surgeon General warned that 13 may be too young of an age for social media use, further expressing that ages 16 to 18 may be just as well. Senator Murphy remarked that social media companies cared more about profit than preventing harm.
Social media is basically a host for several types of content, such as harmless posts or news, but there are some that may not be appropriate for all ages. Murphy says that social media algorithms may send many down "dangerous rabbit holes" and parents might not know it.
If the bill becomes law, the Federal Trade Commission and the state attorney generals will oversee the bill's provisions, and a pilot program will be created by the government and provide an age verification system.
Read Also: How to Secure Your Social Media Accounts: Facebook, TikTok, and More
Protecting Kids on Social Media Act
Once the bill has been approved, social media platforms will not be allowed to use the information collected for age verification for any other purpose, and they cannot keep the data beyond verification of the age of the user.
This also goes for the information of the parent or guardian who will participate in the consent of the minor's social media use, aside from instances where they provide consent or retain the ability to revoke their confirmation at any time.
That means that a platform should also provide the means for parents or guardians to revoke access. Once a parent or a guardian restricts access, the social media platform will have to suspend, delete, or disable the account being used by the minor.
Even with the consent of an adult, social media platforms will also not be allowed to provide the minor account holder with content suggested by an algorithmic recommendation system, and only users who verified that they are 18 years or older can receive them.
Both the minors and the adults supervising the social media users will have to provide appropriate identification. The platforms will not be allowed to keep the information after the verification process is done.
Related: Young People Don't Sleep Much Because Of Social Media
