Senators Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Tom Cotton of Arkansas are set to introduce legislation that would set a minimum age for children to use social media. The bill aims to address the detrimental effects of social media on children's mental health and would also set restrictions on how tech companies use algorithms to serve minors. According to the report, the bill would bar children under 13 from accessing social media and require parents of kids aged 13 to 17 to give affirmative consent for their social media use. However, it is not clear how the proposed legislation would verify users' ages. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Republican Senator Katie Boyd Britt of Alabama will co-sponsor the bill.
Policymakers from both parties have pushed for tighter restrictions on social media companies as research has shown that repeatedly checking social media devices leads to changes in brain development. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has warned that age 13 and younger is too early for children to use social media platforms. Some lawmakers have called for a legal age for kids to use social media. Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri has introduced two bills to protect kids from the effects of social media, including raising the age requirement to 16.
At the state level, Arkansas and Utah have enacted laws requiring anyone under 18 to get parental consent to join social media platforms. The Utah bill also sets a digital curfew on teen social media use between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., and requires age verification for anyone who wants to use social media in the state.
Approximately 38% of children between the ages of 8 to 12 and 84% of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 are using social media, according to The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens. Several social media companies already prohibit kids under 13 from using their platforms in their terms of service, including Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, though those restrictions are easily evaded and loosely enforced. YouTube has created a specific app for children called YouTube Kids.