Ohio Lt. Gov. Says Social Media Harms Children

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted wants verifiable parental consent before kids under 16 can access social media or online gaming platforms, the Republican said at a livestreamed news conference Thursday. The proposed Social Media Notification Act, part of Ohio’s 2024-25 budget proposal, would require companies to determine a user’s age, said Husted: If the user is under 16, the website would have to obtain verifiable consent from a parent or legal guardian and send confirmation of that consent to the parent or guardian’s home. Parents could provide verifiable consent by signing an electronic form, calling a toll-free number, providing a credit card, videoconferencing with trained personnel or providing a government-issued ID, he said. "The facts are clear that social media is harming our children. It's been an epidemic.” Companies “are addicting our kids to their platforms with these very advanced algorithms,” and voluntary safeguards aren’t enough, he added. “We don’t want to make it burdensome,” but if companies “make it too difficult,” he's willing to increase requirements and penalties, he said. The issue is bipartisan, said State Rep. Gail Pavliga (R), who plans to usher the proposal through the General Assembly.