Parental consent for social media accounts bill passes in Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Starting next year, social media companies like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will have to get parental permission for minors to access their services.
This from a bill passed by the Tennessee General Assembly, the “Protecting Minors from Social Media Act.” According to Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), the law would require social media to verify the age of anyone attempting to create an account on their platform.
“If the attempt to create the account is made by a minor, then the bill would require the social media to verify that they have express consent of the minor’s parent or legal guardian prior to becoming an account holder,” Johnson said during floor debate earlier this year. “The bill will also require social media companies to provide parents a means by which the parent or legal guardian may supervise a minor’s account, including options for the parent to view privacy settings, set daily time restrictions and implement breaks, during which time the minor can’t access the account.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: TN bill requires parental permission for social media accounts
An additional facet of the bill grants the Tennessee Attorney General authority to enforce the law, and it will also prevent companies from waiving any of the requirements by contract, according to Johnson.
“The evidence is clear: social media has harmful effects on children, teens and young adults,” Johnson said in a statement via the Senate Republican Caucus. “Oftentimes young children create social media accounts without their parent’s knowledge or consent. The unsupervised use of social media by children is not only inappropriate but can be potentially harmful to those children. This legislation puts parents back in the driver’s seat of their children’s social media usage. It lays out clear steps social media companies must take to verify the ages of users to protect Tennessee children and empower parents.”
It is not immediately clear how social media companies will have to verify the age of all users or parental consent for minors to create accounts. The bill as amended does not include the mechanics for that verification; only that they have to verify.
The measure passed the House in March with overwhelming bipartisan support. It passed 88-2-5, with seven Democrats opposed or abstaining. The Senate also overwhelmingly supported the measure earlier in April, passing 30-0-1, with only Sen. Heidi Campbell abstaining from the vote.
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The bill has one more stop back in the House for an amendment before heading to the governor’s desk.
A representative for Gov. Bill Lee’s office said he intends to sign the legislation. Once signed, the bill will take effect in January.
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