Bipartisan bill proposes setting social media age minimum at 13

US Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) have introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at protecting children from the harmful effects of social media. The proposed Kids Off Social Media Act seeks to set a minimum age of 13 for social media use and prevent platforms from using algorithmically-targeted content for users under the age of 17.

“There is no good reason for a nine-year-old to be on Instagram or Snapchat,” said Schatz. “The growing evidence is clear: social media is making kids more depressed, more anxious, and more suicidal. Yet tech companies refuse to [do] anything about it because it would hurt their bottom line. This is an urgent health crisis, and Congress must act with the boldness and urgency it demands.”

The bill responds to the increasing concerns over the mental health crisis among children, particularly young girls. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 57% of high school girls and 29% of high school boys reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless in 2021. Additionally, 22% of all high school students—and nearly a third of high school girls—reported having seriously considered attempting suicide in the preceding year.

Studies have shown a strong correlatione between social media use and poor mental health, especially among children. From 2019 to 2021, overall screen use among teens and tweens (ages 8 to 12) increased by 17%, with tweens using screens for five hours and 33 minutes per day and teens using screens for eight hours and 39 minutes. In response to these trends, the US Surgeon General issued a 2023 advisory calling for new policies that enforce age minimums and limit the use of features, like algorithms, that attempt to maximize time spent on platforms

“Protecting kids online is not a partisan issue, and our bipartisan coalition – which includes several parents of kids and teenagers – represents the millions of parents across the country who’ve long been asking for help,” Schatz said.

A survey by Count on Mothers found overwhelming support for the bill among parents, with over 90% of mothers agreeing that the minimum age for social media should be 13. Additionally, 87% supported the idea of prohibiting social media companies from using personalized recommendation systems for children. Pew research has found similar concerns, with 70% or more of parents expressing worries about their teens being exposed to explicit content or spending too much time on social media.

The Kids Off Social Media Act would:

• Prohibit social media platforms from allowing children under the age of 13 to create or maintain social media accounts;
• Prohibit social media companies from pushing targeted content using algorithms to users under the age of 17;
• Provide the FTC and state attorneys general authority to enforce the provisions of the bill; and
• Follow existing CIPA framework, with changes, to require schools to work in good faith to limit social media on their federally-funded networks, which many schools already do.

The bill is supported by a wide range of organizations, including Public Citizen, the National Organization for Women, National Association of Social Workers, KidsToo, Count on Mothers, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, among others.

The full text of the bill is available here. For more information on the Kids Off Social Media Act, click here.