Michigan minors could face social media restrictions, increased parental oversight

(The Center Square) – Michigan House lawmakers are taking steps to increase online child safety by introducing a bill that would impact minors, their parents and social media companies.

The Social Media Regulation Act, introduced by State Rep. Mark Tisdel, R-Rochester Hills, would require social media companies to verify the ages of new and existing users, restrict companies from collecting data or sharing minors’ personal information, and provide extensive parental controls.

Among other requirements, social media companies would have to obtain express parental consent if the user is a minor and automatically prohibit minors from accessing their accounts between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.

The bill tasks Michigan’s Attorney General with establishing the age verification methods companies must use, and does not require those means to include photo ID. 

The legislation also gives parents the ability to supervise their children’s social media account activity, and to modify or eliminate the timed access restrictions. Parents could additionally set a limit on the number of hours per day the minor may use the account.

The bill also would ensure minor accounts are not shown in the social media platform’s public search results, and prohibit the platform from giving minor accounts targeted suggestions. 

The legislation would not impact email and direct messaging platforms, streaming services, online shopping sites, virtual interactive gaming sites, networks for showcasing non-pornographic artistic content, video call services, shared document collaborations, and school-managed websites and student engagement programs.

The proposed bill comes as other states are taking similar steps to regulate children’s online exposure, with the California legislature passing a similar bill last week.