A new bill will require parental consent for children under 16 years old to have a social media account. If they have consent, there will still be restrictions.
BOISE, Idaho — The constant scroll of social media can be addictive, leading Idaho lawmakers to take action.
House Bill 542, which passed in the legislative session, will require social media companies to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent before allowing anyone under 16 years old to maintain an account in Idaho.
“They’re addicted,” Rep. Jaron Crane said. “These kids are exposed to more technology than any other generation in history.”
Crane, a sponsor of the bill, said the legislation is designed to put parents in control while limiting the influence of social media on children.
Companies will need to confirm a user’s age through more than self-reported information, like when a child put’s their birthday into the app when making an account. Instead, companies will determine someone’s age by their interests.
“What you can’t lie about is your interest,” Crane said. “What a kid’s looking at below the age of 16 and what someone at 26 is looking at is totally different.”
Under the proposal, children who receive parental permission could still use social media — but with restrictions. Platforms will be required to remove or limit features lawmakers describe as addictive, such as auto-play videos or infinite scrolling.
“When you see a like, a comment, a share on a post that you do, there is a dopamine hit that happens,” Crane said. “It’s the same dopamine you’d hit from any addictive drug.”
The bill will only apply only within Idaho. Crane said social media platforms could use location services to determine when a user is in the state, meaning restrictions would not apply if a user travels elsewhere.
“If they leave and go on vacation, it’s not going to apply over there,” Crane said. “As soon as they fly back into Boise, it’s going to apply when they’re here.”
The proposal has drawn opposition from industry groups and free speech advocates, who argue it could infringe on minors’ rights.
“While we agree on the why, we have to be honest about the how,” said Aidan Downey with the Computer and Communications Industry Association. “House Bill 542 gets the how wrong in ways that actually make your constituents less safe and violates their civil rights.”
Downey said the bill could limit access to lawful information for young people, including news, political content and online support communities.
“It treats all social media as harmful contraband,” Downey said “Effectively stripping teenagers of the rights to access lawful information, unless they get a permission slip.”
Idaho’s bill is the first in the nation to directly target features intended to increase user engagement — a move Crane said is necessary to protect children.
