WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – A group of senators from both parties say their new bill protects children from the harms of social media.
“Our bill is a common sense, bipartisan approach to help stop this suffering,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).
“Enough is enough. The data speaks for itself,” said Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.).
legislation it would ban social media accounts for anyone under the age of 13 on social media platforms like Tiktok, Instagram, and Snapchat.
“Social media companies have had plenty of opportunities to do the right thing…they haven’t delivered,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).
Murphy says the bill also requires parental permission for users under 18.
“This bill gives parents the ability to decide, with their children, when the time is right to enter this world,” Murphy said.
To enforce these requirements, the bill would create a new government-run age verification system.
“This is simply applying the ancient wisdom of humanity from the real world to the digital world,” said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).
Cotton says this approach is necessary to keep children safe in a digital world.
“They are too young to watch an R-rated movie, they are too young to be exposed to much of the content on social media,” Cotton said.
Some technology groups like NetChoice, oppose the billsaying that Congress needs to find solutions that don’t infringe on “constitutionally protected rights” or violate privacy.
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