What is being done about
Social Media?
“From bullying and sex trafficking to addiction and explicit content, social media companies subject children and teens to a wide variety of content that can hurt them, emotionally and physically. Just as parents safeguard their kids from threats in the real world, they need the opportunity to protect their children online. By setting an age limit of 13—and requiring parental consent until age 18—our bill will put parents back in control of what their kids experience online,” - Senator Cotton, Arkansas.
IDAHO'S CALL TO ACTION
Idaho Governor Brad Little gave the state of the state address Monday, January 8, 2024, and implored the Idaho Legislature to pass social media legislation similar to Utah and other states (details below) to protect the mental health of Idaho kids.
Will the Idaho State Legislature deliver?
Bi-Partisan Problem
The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act presents a bi-partisan band-aid remedy to the issue of how social media is a bullying conduit that has become an epidemic problem affecting our kids mental health.
Senators from both sides of the aisle have presented this as a way to begin to address it.
01 - UTAH
UTAH SOCIAL MEDIA REGULATION ACT
Starting on March 1, 2024, social media companies must:
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Verify the age of a Utah adult seeking to maintain or open a social media account
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Get the consent of a parent or guardian for Utah users under age 18
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Allow parents or guardians full access to their child’s account
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Create a default curfew setting that blocks overnight access to minor accounts (10:30 pm to 6:30 am) which parents can adjust
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Protect minor accounts from unapproved direct messaging
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Block minor accounts from search results
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In addition, social media companies:
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Cannot collect a minor's data
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Cannot target minor’s social media accounts for advertising
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Cannot target minor’s social media accounts with addictive designs or features
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02 - ARKANSAS
ARKANSAS - SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY ACT
Arkansas became the second state to pass legislation restricting social media access for minors by requiring age verification and prohibiting data collection of minors. It was set to go into effect in September of 2023.
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However, it was blocked by a federal judge because of a lawsuit by a tech trade group called NetChoice which includes TikTok, Meta/Facebook, and X.
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03 - OHIO
OHIO - SOCIAL MEDIA PARENTAL NOTIFICATION ACT
The Ohio law, set to go into effect January 15, 2024, was blocked by NetChoice similarly to Arkansas.
We'll follow and update with the final outcome.