Georgia Republicans Propose Law Requiring Parental Consent for Children’s Social Media Accounts
Georgia could become the latest state to pass a law requiring parental consent for children to create social media accounts. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Sen. Jason Anavitarte of Dallas, two top Republicans in the Georgia state Senate, announced their intention to propose such a law in 2024. The proposed legislation would also extend restrictions to other online services.
During a news conference on Monday, Anavitarte emphasized the importance of empowering parents and addressing the issue of unrestricted content on social media platforms. He cited Louisiana’s recently passed law as a model for Georgia’s proposed legislation. Louisiana’s law, set to take effect in 2024, requires social media services to verify the age of account holders and prohibits individuals under 18 from joining without parental consent.
Arkansas, Texas, and Utah have already enacted laws this year mandating parental consent for children’s social media use. Additionally, some members of Congress have proposed similar legislation at the federal level. California implemented a law in 2020 aimed at enhancing children’s privacy and safety on online platforms.
Anavitarte revealed that he has had brief discussions with Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. He and Jones expressed their intention to engage in further conversations with the social media giant regarding their proposed legislation.
The move by Georgia Republicans comes in response to concerns raised by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who stated in May that social media has not been proven safe for young people. Murthy called for immediate action to protect children, urging tech companies, parents, and caregivers to collaborate and increase transparency. He also called for policymakers to regulate social media for safety, drawing parallels to existing regulations for car seats and baby formula.
Although social media companies already ban children under 13 from signing up for their platforms to comply with federal regulations, studies have shown that many children easily evade these bans. Pew Research Center found that up to 95% of teenagers aged 13 to 17 use social media platforms, with more than a third reporting almost constant usage.
In addition to parental consent for social media accounts, Anavitarte also aims to strengthen Georgia’s cyberbullying laws. He plans to reintroduce a proposal from 2022 that would require schools to warn students and parents about potential criminal stalking penalties associated with certain acts of bullying.
Meta Platforms, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, has already taken steps to verify users’ ages. These measures include ID verification and video selfie recordings. Meta asserts that it provides age-appropriate experiences for teenagers on Instagram, including safeguards against contact from unknown adults.
Anavitarte has also been vocal about banning certain applications, including TikTok, Telegram, and WeChat, from state-owned computers in Georgia. However, critics argue that these measures could potentially limit access to information and impede adults’ ability to reach it.
The proposed laws may also prompt online platforms to require government-issued identification for age verification. Similar requirements have already been implemented on some pornography sites in Louisiana, Utah, and Virginia. The Free Speech Coalition has challenged these laws in court, claiming they discriminate against certain types of speech. However, a judge in Utah dismissed the lawsuit, stating that the challengers lacked standing to sue based on the law’s design.
Original Story at abcnews.go.com – 2023-08-08 04:26:09
Comments are closed.