Senate and States Tackle Kids' Social Media Access

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee has approved the Kids Off Social Media Act, a bipartisan bill aiming to mitigate the negative mental health impacts of social media on children by setting a minimum age of 13 for account creation and limiting algorithmic targeting for users under 17. Introduced by Senators Katie Britt, Ted Cruz, Brian Schatz, and Chris Murphy, the bill reflects a cross-party concern over Big Tech's influence on youth mental health. Concurrently, Oklahoma is advancing state legislation to ban social media access for children under 16 and require parental consent for those aged 16-18, also citing mental health concerns. Critics argue that these measures, while well-intentioned, may constitute government overreach and threaten digital privacy and free speech. Parental rights advocates have raised concerns that the bill does not apply to platforms like YouTube Kids, which they claim still expose minors to controversial content. The legislative efforts represent a broader national movement to regulate children's social media use amidst rising anxiety and depression rates among youth.