U.S. Senators Debut Protecting Kids on Social Media Act

Justin Hendrix is CEO and Editor of Tech Policy Press. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Katie Britt (R-AL) today introduced the “Protecting Kids on Social Media Act,” which is says its purpose is to: To require that social media platforms verify the age of their users, prohibit the use of algorithmic recommendation systems on individuals under age 18, require parental or guardian consent for social media users under age 18, and prohibit users who are under age 13 from accessing social media platforms. “The growing evidence is clear: social media is making kids more depressed and wreaking havoc on their mental health. While kids are suffering, social media companies are profiting. This needs to stop,” said Senator Schatz in a press statement. “Our bill will help us stop the growing social media health crisis among kids by setting a minimum age and preventing companies from using algorithms to automatically feed them addictive content based on their personal information.” protecting_kids_on_social_media_act_2023 The bill excludes a variety of digital media products and services not designated as social media, including video conferencing platforms, subscription content services, video game platforms, news sites, travel and commerce sites, educational platforms, messaging services, and other interactive services that deliver content to an end user, presumably such as chatbots. Social media sites must take “reasonable steps” beyond “merely requiring attestation” of a user’s age, “taking into account existing age verification technologies.” Information gathered for age verification cannot be retained or used for any other purpose,…U.S. Senators Debut Protecting Kids on Social Media Act