Efforts by Four States to Regulate Social Media Use for Teens
“State Legislatures Address Teen Social Media Usage with New Regulations”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed House Bill 3 into law, marking the state’s latest effort to regulate teen social media usage. The bill requires social media platforms to terminate accounts for minors under 14 and only allows 14- and 15-year-olds to have accounts with parental consent. Additionally, the bill mandates social media companies to implement a third-party verification system to identify underage users and take appropriate action.
While DeSantis touted the bill as a way for parents to protect their children, critics argue that regulating social media platforms is challenging and raises concerns about privacy and censorship issues. This was not Florida’s first attempt at such legislation, as a previous bill that would have banned children under 16 from using social media was vetoed by DeSantis. The new law will take effect on January 1.
Florida is not alone in its efforts to regulate teen social media usage. States like Utah and Arkansas have also passed similar laws aimed at safeguarding child mental health and upholding digital privacy. In Utah, parents can now sue social media platforms if they believe their child’s mental health has been impacted, while Arkansas requires age verification checks for minors under 18 to use certain social media platforms.
In Georgia, a proposed bill known as the “Protecting Georgia’s Children on Social Media Act of 2024” aims to address the potential impact of social media on children’s mental health. The bill mandates age verification measures for users and requires the Georgia Department of Education to create educational programs on safe social media usage for students.
As legislative sessions continue across the nation, lawmakers are grappling with how to strike a balance between regulating teen social media usage and protecting child mental health while respecting digital privacy rights. The debate over social media regulation is likely to continue as more states consider similar legislation.
