Children under 13 would be banned from social media under bipartisan Senate bill

A bipartisan group of senators on Wednesday introduced legislation that aims to protect children from any harmful effects posed by using social media.

The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media apps, such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and would require parental consent for 13- to 17-year-olds.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said earlier this year that 13 is too young to join social media.

The bill would ban social media companies from recommending content using algorithms for users under the age of 18. It would also require the companies to employ age verification measures, and instructs them to create a pilot project for a government-provided age verification system that platforms could use.

Under the measure, the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general would be given authority to enforce the bill's provisions.

"Big tech has exposed our kids to dangerous content and disturbed people," one of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said at a news conference. "Moms and dads have felt helpless while their kids suffer, sometimes leading to devastating tragedies."