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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
A new bill would require minors to have consent from parents or guardians to use social media.
House Bill 1891 (HB1891), filed by State Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44), would require that anyone who creates or has already created an account on a social media platform go through an age-verification process.
This would include platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X, formerly known as Twitter.
The bill, referred to as the “Protecting Children from Social Media Act,” would also require social media companies to “verify the express parental consent for the minor to become or continue as an account holder” if someone under 18 wants to use the platform.
Minors would have 14 days from the time they try to log in to complete that age-verification process. If age verification is not completed, social media companies would be required to lock minors out of those accounts, except in cases where the user is choosing to delete the account entirely.
Age-verification would only be done once, upon the initial setup of the account or the first login after the bill goes into effect for those who are existing users. Parents and guardians do have an option to revoke parental consent.
The bill would also require that social media companies provide parents with a means of monitoring the accounts of those minors.
Finally, the bill includes a requirement that social media companies do not retain the information that is used to verify the age or to obtain parental consent.
The companion Senate Bill 2097 (SB2097) is sponsored by State Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 27).
