- If signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia Senate Bill 351 would require parental permission for children under 16 to create social media accounts.
- The bill also bans the use of social media on school devices.
- Other states have enacted similar laws, including Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Utah, and some in Congress have proposed similar measures.
Georgia, like other states, could require children under 16 to seek explicit parental permission to create social media accounts.
Lawmakers on Friday banned the use of social media on school devices and internet services, required porn sites to verify users are over 18, and required schools to provide additional education on social media and internet use. gave final approval to Senate Bill 351, which requires The House passed the bill 120-45, and the Senate approved it 48-7.
The bill, which Republican Sen. Jason Ananavitarte of Dallas called “transformative,” now goes to Gov. Brian Kemp, who will either sign it or veto it.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signs controversial bill banning social media for children under 14
A number of other states, including Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Utah, passed laws last year requiring parental consent for children to use social media. In August, a federal judge blocked a law in Arkansas that required parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts.
Georgia lawmakers on March 29, 2024 approved a bill that would require parental permission for children under 16 to sign up for social media accounts. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
Some members of Congress are proposing parental consent for minors.
State Rep. Scott Hilton, a Peachtree Corners Republican, said social media is harmful and the state should do more to limit children’s use of it.
“Every rose has its thorns, and that’s social media in this day and age,” Hilton said. “It’s great for connection and activity, but it rears its ugly head when it comes to mental health.”
But opponents warned the bill would cause problems. For example, Rep. David Wilkerson, D-Powder Springs, said banning social media use in schools could also prohibit teachers from showing YouTube videos that have educational value. Ta.
“There are so many problems with this bill that if we pass it, we’re going to have to do it again next year,” Wilkerson said.
The bill says social media services must use “commercially reasonable efforts” to verify someone’s age by July 1, 2025.
Services will need to treat people who cannot be authenticated as minors. Parents of children under the age of 16 must consent to their child’s participation in the Service. There will be limits to how social media companies can tailor ads to children under 16 and how much information they can collect about them.
To comply with federal regulations, social media companies already ban children under 13 from signing up on their platforms, but children have been found to easily circumvent that ban.
Up to 95% of teens ages 13 to 17 report using social media platforms, with more than a third “almost always” using social media platforms, according to a Pew Research Center survey. The respondents said that they are using .
Georgia’s bill also aims to shut down porn sites by requiring them to submit digital ID or other government-issued identification. Companies can be held liable and fined up to $10,000 if a minor is found to have accessed the site.
Rep. Rick Jaspers, R-Jasper, argued that age verification would cut off porn sites’ access to Georgians, saying, “It would protect our children.” In March, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Texas law, and Pornhub cut off access to Texans.
The Free Speech Coalition, which represents adult film producers, argues the bill is ineffective because it would allow users to hide their location and force them to submit sensitive information. They also argue that this is unconstitutional because there are less restrictive ways to keep children out and discriminate against certain types of speech. The coalition sued several states over this law.
The school social media ban excludes email, news, gaming, online shopping, photo editing and academic sites. The measure also calls for the creation of a model program on the effects of social media for students in grades 6 through 12 and updates to existing anti-bullying programs.
The move comes after US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned in May that social media has not been proven safe for young people.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Murthy called on tech companies, parents and guardians to take “immediate action now to protect children,” urging tech companies to share data and increase transparency and policy makers to take child safety seats. He called for social media to be regulated for safety, just as it is for powdered milk.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced that it will implement age verification measures in 2022. Meta says on Instagram that it provides “age-appropriate experiences” for youth ages 13 to 17, including preventing unwanted contact from unknown adults.
Dozens of U.S. states, including California and New York, are also suing Meta Platforms, accusing the company of knowingly and intentionally designing features on Instagram and Facebook to get kids addicted to its platforms. They say it is harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis.
Florida recently passed a law that bans children under 14 from social media accounts without parental consent, and requires parental permission for 14- and 15-year-olds.
