Nashville, Tennessee — Starting January 1, a new law will require all Tennessee children under the age of 18 to acquire parental permission before starting a social media account.
The new legislation aims to protect children’s mental health and reduce their exposure to hazardous online information.
One parent told FOX 17 News she is happy that precautions and procedures are now in place to protect her children.
According to Senator Jack Johnson, Tennessee residents under the age of 18 who want to join up for social media platforms like as Facebook and Instagram must have their age confirmed by social media firms, as well as obtain their parent’s approval.
Parents will also have control over their children’s accounts. The new law takes into force on January 1.
Amanda Raye resides in Nashville with her two children, ages 12 and 17.
“I think it’s needed, it’s necessary and it’s the perfect time for it,” Raye told me.
She believes that social media platforms hurt children’s developing self-esteem due to questionable content and concerns about predators lurking online.
Senator Jack Johnson cosponsored the Protecting Minors from Social Media Act. It was approved by a vote of 90 to 2 in the House and 30 to 1 in the Senate.
“It was important for parents to have the tools necessary to protect their kids from some of the very, very bad things that they can encounter on social media,” said Johnson’s colleague.
Representative Vincent Dixie was among the lawmakers who voted no.
“I agreed with the bill premise but I didn’t think it went far enough in reality to truly protect the kids,” he told me.
He also stated that it is a step in the right direction, but there are still gaps in the legislation regarding enforcement.
FOX 17 News questioned Sen. Johnson how we can confirm that it is the parent providing consent rather than the child posing as their parent.
“Nothing is going to be 100% foolproof, but there again we put the burden on the social media companies,” he told me.
The Tennessee attorney general has sent a notice to social media corporations that if they do not comply, a lawsuit will be filed.
FOX 17 News emailed major social media giants Meta and ByteDance to learn how they intend to comply with the regulation and verify users’ ages.