Governor Greg Abbott has signed a bill that will restrict minors from using social media sites without parental consent in the state of Texas.
Texas bill HB18 will require social media companies to receive direct consent from parents before their children can create an account. The bill states that digital service providers that collect data from users will be required to create and provide parental tools that allow parents to supervise their child’s use of a digital service.
Under this new legislation, social media platforms will be required to create a “simple and easily accessible method” for parents to request access to what data is associated with their child. Tech companies will also be pressured to implement measures that prevent children from seeing “harmful material.”
Texas state representative Shelby Slawson, who co-authored this bill, spoke earlier this year about the drastic mental health effects that social media is having on children. She pointed out that there has been a significant rise in self-harm, depression, and sexual exploitation among minors at the same time social media has become more prominent in society.
“Our children are experiencing all manner of harms via overexposure to digital platforms and predatory algorithms, manifesting in increased rates of self-harm, suicide, substance abuse, sexual exploitation, human trafficking and other mental health issues,”
Texas state representative Shelby Slawson
Texas is not alone in enacting legislation aimed at protecting minors online. Recently, Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed several pieces of legislation into law last month that require age verification for social media and adult content. Users under the age of 18 who want to create a social media account will need parental consent.
“We’re no longer willing to let social media companies continue to harm the mental health of our youth,” Governor Cox stated.
