Senate Legislation Would Ban Children Under 14 from Social Media

I doubt anyone reading this would question the fact that children today spend way too much time on social media.

Not only that, but some of these ridiculous challenges have taken over their lives, including putting their lives in danger at times.

To that point, the Senate is about to pass legislation that would make it illegal for anyone under the age of 13 to have social media without parental consent.

Good or Bad

I don’t have children, but from my perspective, this just might be a good thing.

For every teenage millionaire created by social media, thousands more are having their lives ruined.

You go into any social situation, and children all have their heads down on their phones.

It has already been proven today that children are far more socially awkward than in generations past.

So the new bill, Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, if it passes, would mean that children under the age of 13 would be blocked from creating accounts or interacting with other users.

According to the text of the draft, they can still see posts, just not participate in them, but they would still have to have parental approval before creating such an account.

Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) wrote the bill, stating, “Social media companies have stumbled onto a stubborn, devastating fact.

“The way to get kids to linger on the platforms and to maximize profit is to upset them — to make them outraged, to make them agitated, to make them scared, to make them vulnerable, to make them feel helpless, anxious [and] despondent.”

The bill is being co-sponsored by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), among others.

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) also has legislation along these lines, the Kids’ Online Safety Act, and of course, he expressed concerns about the Schatz-Cotton legislation.

Blumenthal stated, “I welcome additional ideas. I have some concerns about an age identification system that would create a national database with personal information about kids in the hands of Big Tech, potentially leading to misuse or exploitation.

“I have other concerns about a bill that would put accountability on parents rather than on Big Tech, as our legislation does.”

Big tech, of course, will fight this legislation tooth and nail because kids are their bread and butter in terms of engagement.

I am really curious to see how people react to the government dictating to parents whether their children can have social media accounts.

This is going to make for some interesting debates as this legislation comes closer to becoming a reality.