TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, a Republican candidate for governor, unveiled a plan to block social media companies from creating or maintaining accounts for Kansas children under the age of 16, without their parents’ consent.
“As a pharmacist, a mother, and a grandmother of four, I have watched what these platforms are doing to our kids, and it is a slow-motion disaster,” said Schmidt. “This proposal will have a positive impact on the health of our people, the productivity of our students and the well-being of our communities.”
Schmidt says her proposal would:
- Prohibit social media platforms from knowingly allowing Kansans under the age of 16 to create or maintain accounts unless parental consent is provided.
- Require platforms to implement reasonable, privacy-protecting age verification.
- Mandate the deletion of existing underage accounts and any data associated with them.
She added that the proposal would not regulate user speech or place restrictions on adults’ access to lawful platforms. Schmidt says the obligation would fall on the companies, not parents, teachers, or kids, to keep minors off their products until they are old enough to use them safely.
“Parents are fighting this battle alone, and they are losing,” Vicki Schmidt added. “It is time Kansas stood with them.”
Schmidt’s running mate Joe Newland added the following statement:
“Communities across Kansas, including my own, have seen the devastating impact of social media when a young person takes their own life. It’s time to put parents back in charge.”
Copyright 2026 WIBW. All rights reserved.
