US Bill Seeks To Ban Children Under 13 From Joining Social Media

The bill is a latest effort in protecting the mental health of the youngsters.

A new bipartisan proposal introduced in the US Senate seeks to set a national age limit for use of social media across the country. The federal bill proposes anyone under the age of 13 from using social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and others. The Protecting Kids on Social Media bill also proposes that tech companies need to get parents' consent before creating accounts for teenagers, as per a report in CNN. The bill seeks to address what experts say a mental health crisis fuelled by social media, the outlet further said.

Under the provisions of the bill, children aged 13 and below would be barred from creating accounts or interact with other users, though they would still be able to view content without logging into an account, according to the draft text of the legislation.

The companies would also be banned from using teens' personal information to target them with content or advertising. However, some relaxations have been offered, like limited targeted recommendations to teens by relying on other contextual cues.

Speaking about the legislation, Hawaii Democratic Senator Brian Schatz, one of the architects of the federal bill, told reporters that Congress urgently needs to protect kids from social media harms.