Minors' access to social media could look different next year as lawmakers and government agencies look for ways to make the internet safer for children.

Over the past few years, concerns have been raised about the potential negative effects of social media on children. Utah and Virginia, plans to consider a bill this year that would require age verification and other measures to restrict minors' access to social platforms. More lawmakers in several states say they plan to introduce legislation on this issue in 2024. (Related: Top social media companies made billions from advertising to minors: report)

New York state legislators invoice By default, minors will only be able to view chronological feeds from users they already follow, according to an October report. press release Comments from State Attorney General Letitia James, who supported the bill. The bill would allow parents to opt out of allowing their children to use social media between midnight and 6 a.m., giving them control over how many hours a day minor users can use social media. It becomes like this.

On January 15th, a law will go into effect in Ohio that will require social media companies to seek parental consent before users under 16 can create an account. according to Go to Spectrum News 1.

Elected officials in Maryland, California and Pennsylvania are also pushing for legislation in 2024 to address concerns about online child labor and financial compensation for underage social media influencers. We plan to introduce it. according to Go to NBC News. Democratic state Rep. Toren Ecker told NBC he is working on legislation regarding online child labor and plans to introduce it next year.

Some family members and parents sued and criminally Paid For exploiting their own children as online influencers. Additionally, the Mayo Clinic To tell Too much online exposure in teens can lead to depression, anxiety, bullying, and sleep problems.

Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health Said Teens are often exposed to “unrealistic expectations,” and for young social media users whose brains are not fully developed, this can be “disruptive to identity formation and self-image.” It is said that there is a sex.

The Federal Trade Commission also proposed new rules in December that would change how companies use advertising targeted to minors on social media and expand the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998. according to In the New York Times. If passed, the new rules would shorten the amount of time companies can store data about minors collected online, limit data collection from educational apps and companies, and require consent from children's schools.

A new report reveals that social media companies will earn about $11 billion in 2022 from advertising to U.S. users under 18. More than $2 billion in revenue was generated from users under the age of 12, with the remaining $8.6 billion coming from children between the ages of 13 and 17.

Adam Kandub, an attorney and director of the Intellectual Property and Information Communications Law Program at Michigan State University, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that while he supports the FTC's proposed changes and legislation to protect child influencers, , said he believes age verification has more benefits. and parental consent laws.

“Children can't enter into contracts without their parents' consent. They can't get medical treatment, they can't get tattoos, they can't get life insurance or anything else,” Khandub said. said. “Social media companies offer terms of service, which are essentially contracts. You are giving up legal rights to your information, copyright, and ability to litigate, but importantly, I think that means you can't do it without their consent because only parents have the authority to make decisions. It has to do with the fundamental premise of American law that parents can decide what's best for their children.”

Khandub said that while conservatives are often hesitant to limit people's freedoms, Vivek in May urged lawmakers to start taking a “safety first” approach to social media legislation.・I pointed out the warning from U.S. Surgeon General Marcy.

“If we think about the situation with our children, it may sound a bit far-fetched to say that if we don't take the time to do something, we are going to create a collapse of civilization and a generation of very traumatized children. However, we are facing a serious situation,” Khandub said.

But there are concerns among conservatives and tech advocates that laws aimed at protecting children could violate constitutional rights.

Internet industry group NetChoice is suing the state of Utah over a law that requires age verification and parental consent for minors to use social media.

“Utah's government takes control of online experiences away from parents, ignores the importance of education, sidelines the state's vibrant creator economy, compromises data security, and violates constitutional rights.” “We chose that path,” said Chris Marchese, director of the NetChoice Litigation Center. Press release at the time.

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