Rob Sand wants to ban social media for Iowa kids under 16. What about parental permission?
How would Democratic candidate for governor Rob Sand’s proposed social media ban for Iowa kids work?
Democratic candidate for governor Rob Sand wants to ban children under 16 from having social media accounts in Iowa, even with their parents’ permission. But Sand says he would be open to discussing a parental exception if the proposal moves forward.
Sand, Iowa’s state auditor, is running against Republican businessman and farmer Zach Lahn in the November election. The two are competing to succeed Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is not seeking reelection.
Sand unveiled his proposed social media ban earlier this summer as part of a broader plan aimed at protecting children online. His plan calls for banning social media accounts for Iowa children under 16 and requiring parental consent for 16- and 17-year-olds.
In an interview with KCCI chief political reporter Amanda Rooker, Sand addressed how firm that age cutoff would be, how the state could enforce it and whether parents should ultimately be able to decide if their younger children can use social media.
Asked whether a parent should be able to give permission for a child under 16 to have a social media account, Sand said his current proposal would not allow that.
“To me, no,” Sand said. “I think what we said was 16 is the point at which you can have it.”
WATCH: Rob Sand wants to ban social media for Iowa kids under 16. What about parental permission?
However, Sand said that he would be willing to discuss a parental exception if lawmakers or others push for one as the proposal is debated.
“If you want to have a rule where, with the parent’s permission, you can have it younger than that, that’s a conversation that we can have,” Sand said.
Sand has framed the proposal as an effort to protect children from potential harms associated with social media and from online predators. His broader online safety plan also calls for age verification, independent audits of social media algorithms, limits on “infinite scroll” for children and additional privacy protections for minors.
Sand said he believes social media companies have not done enough on their own to protect children from potential harms on their platforms.
“If they’re not going to act to police themselves, then we need to do it to protect our kids,” Sand said.
How the state would enforce the proposed age restrictions remains unclear.
“It’s difficult, right?” Sand said when asked about enforcement. “But much better to have a difficult enforcement mechanism than to do nothing.”
Sand’s published plan calls for putting some of that responsibility on app stores and developers, including requiring age verification and parental consent when applicable.
The proposal would need approval from the Iowa Legislature before it could become law.
