Social media bill would bar kids under 13 from using platforms to protect mental health

A new bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate on Wednesday requires social media companies to verify users’ ages to prevent children under 13 from using their addictive platforms. Big Tech is going to ‘spy’ American children

The legislation is supported by Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Katie Britt, R-Ala.

According to the senators, the bill aims to “protect children from the harmful effects of social media” and declining mental health across the country by setting a minimum age for accessing apps like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and others.

Schatz called the bill a “common sense two-pronged approach” to help with the “suffering” of children during a news conference Wednesday.

The bill will ban all children under the age of 13 from accessing platforms, require social media companies to verify consumers’ ages, and require parental consent from parents for children between the ages of 13 and 17.

Senator Cotton told reporters Big Tech has been exposing “our kids” to dangerous content and deranged people for too long

Cotton told reporters that Big Tech has been exposing “our kids” to dangerous content and deranged people for too long. Mothers and fathers have felt helpless as their children suffer, sometimes leading to devastating tragedies.”

The Arkansas senator called the bill a “gigantic step” toward solving that problem by “putting parents back in control” while sending a strong message to social media companies — that they have a “duty to educate kids.” help protect and keep parents informed’. or else face ‘serious consequences’.

Despite bipartisan support, the legislation is being scrutinized by some for potentially allowing the Biden administration to collect large amounts of information on American children.

A congressional aide told DailMail.

com it is “extremely concerning” that the bill will “create a back door between Big Tech and the federal government to spy on American families.”

“This allows the Biden administration to collect the personal, private information of children and their parents. This testamentary legislation will create a huge, IRS-like system where the federal government stores US information and it will almost certainly be leaked, as we’ve seen happen countless times with the IRS,” the aide continued.

Cotton directly refuted those allegations Wednesday, telling reporters that the law does not allow tech companies to collect more private information.

“In fact, it will prevent tech companies from collecting information on children under 13, which they currently do through their extremely weak and easily avoidable age verification certificate, so that’s the first case,” Cotton said.

“We will actually reduce the amount of information about American children because kids under 13 can’t really get on social media.”

“Second, the idea that this would not allow any government or technology company to collect more information than it currently does is completely false,” Cotton continued.

The senator pointed out that all they’ll ask for is a date of birth — which many people post online anyway — and parent-child relationship, which is already managed by “numerous government agencies” at every level — local, state, and federal.

Britt, a mother of two young children, added that the bill is simply to put up “guard rails” for parents to get behind the wheel and prevent Big Tech from reaching too far.

“Of course we all know the benefits that social media can bring. We want our children to be able to connect and explore. But we also want to make sure that happens within the proper assessment of the right guardrails,” said Britt.

The FTC and attorneys general will be the “main mechanism” for enforcement, Sen. Schatz told reporters

“We don’t let minors sign contracts. We don’t let them open bank accounts. We won’t let them join the army. We don’t let them drink alcohol or smoke tobacco without parental consent,” Cotton continued.

“If those norms exist in the real world, as they have for centuries. Why should we allow them to do those things or anything like that in the digital world?”

However, some lawmakers on the House side are also concerned about the language in the bill, DailyMail.com has learned, which could pose a problem if the Senate moves the legislation forward.

“If you are not already using TikTok, the legislation of Katie Britt and Tom Cotton will hand over your personal information to the CCP,” the congressional assistant argued.

“We know this will happen because China’s National Security Law requires companies to hand over any information requested by Beijing.”

The group ‘Design It For Us’ also issued a statement saying the legislature’s bill “misses the mark.”

“We believe that any legislation addressing social media harm should place the responsibility on companies to make their platforms safer, rather than preventing children and teens from accessing platforms in the first place,” said co-chair Zamaan Qureshi.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the attorneys general will be the “main mechanism” for enforcement, Schatz told reporters.

But it wasn’t immediately clear how social media companies will verify age, or what additional enforcement mechanisms will be put in place to ensure enforcement.

“We haven’t shopped this at social media companies yet,” Democratic Senator Schatz added.

Britt is hopeful that the bill will successfully prevent Big Tech from “preying on the emotions” of American children.

Another bill already tabled spearheaded by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., the Kids Online Safety Act, will go hand-in-hand with the legislation, the senators insisted.

The bill includes guardrails to hold social media companies accountable, including additional information protection features, the ability to disable certain algorithms, and parental controls.