Bipartisan group of senators to propose social media age limits to protect teenagers

Get ready for a groundbreaking move! A bipartisan group of senators is introducing legislation to establish minimum ages for using social media. This is the most serious attempt yet to limit teenagers’ access to technology, amid widespread fears that it is harming their well-being.

The bill, sponsored by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Tom Cotton (R-AK), will set rules for how social media companies handle users under 18. It adds to several other state and federal bills designed to mitigate the effects of social media on teenagers’ mental health.

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The bill would bar children under 13 from accessing social media and require parental consent for those between 13 and 17, according to the Washington Post. It would also regulate how companies such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram use algorithms to present content to younger users. Although it’s not yet clear what the enforcement mechanism would be, Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL) are also sponsoring the bill.

California passed a law in September restricting the ability of apps to gather personal data from teenagers and requiring them to give teenage users the highest security settings by default. Utah and Arkansas passed similar bills last month that limited Big Tech’s ability to gather teenagers’ data.

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Leading industry groups have expressed concern about the effects of such legislation on teenagers’ privacy and First Amendment rights. However, many social media platforms already bar users under 13 from getting an account, although some, such as YouTube, offer products designed to provide family-friendly content.