A new proposal would force social platforms to verify user ages and require parental approval for anyone under 16. The bill also aims to give parents more control over their children's online activity.
Media and publishing professionals tracking regulatory shifts should note a new Senate bill that could reshape how social platforms handle young users. Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) has introduced the Parental Approval for Youth Social Media Act, which would require platforms to verify the ages of all users and obtain parental consent before allowing anyone under 16 to create or maintain an account. The legislation also mandates that platforms provide parents with tools to supervise their children's social media activity.
Gallego has argued that unsupervised social media use exposes minors to explicit content, online predators, and cyberbullying, while tech companies profit from increased screen time. The bill's requirements would apply to all major social platforms, potentially impacting onboarding, user verification, and parental control features across the industry.
This federal push follows a wave of state-level regulations. At least 12 states have enacted laws targeting social media access for minors, though many of these measures have faced legal challenges from tech industry groups. These groups claim such laws infringe on First Amendment rights and raise privacy concerns by requiring age verification for all users. Their arguments often cite a 2011 Supreme Court decision that struck down a California law restricting the sale of violent video games to minors without parental consent, ruling it unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds.
Court outcomes on these state laws have varied. While some district judges have blocked enforcement, several appellate courts have allowed restrictions to proceed. For example, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that Ohio can enforce a law requiring parental permission for minors under 16 to create accounts on certain web services with social features. The court described the parental consent requirement as a targeted response to the risks of unsupervised platform use by children. This decision reversed a lower court's injunction that had found the law unconstitutional.
Other states are also moving forward with similar measures. For instance, New York is preparing to implement stricter age checks and feed limits for minors, as detailed in a recent report on upcoming enforcement actions. These developments signal a growing trend toward tighter regulation of youth access to social platforms, with ongoing legal battles likely to shape the final landscape.
