MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A new bill out of Madison aims to limit access to social media accounts for those under 18, but some say the bill is going too far.
“Right now, our children are spending, on average, nine hours online and with social media,” said State Rep. David Steffen, R-4th District. “And that is having some incredibly negative impacts.”
Steffen, the author of the bill, says he aims to protect children’s physical safety and mental health.
“This legislation is going to institute some opportunities for parents to engage and control some of the activity that their children and viewing and involved with online.”
Steffen says his goal for the legislation is to protect children from advertisers, predators and overexposure to social media.
“That is having some incredibly negative impacts on our children in terms of increased anxiety, depression and self harm.”
The bill would restrict access for minors between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and also require new users to verify their age.
But even if the bill becomes law, Steffen says the decision will ultimately be up to parents.
“If they want to allow their children to have access to social media after 10 p.m., they’ll be able to turn that back on — similarly with the advertising and connecting with strangers.”
The bill has been met with mixed reception — primarily around an element of the bill that grants parents full access to their kids’ accounts, including private messages.
“Kids wants their privacy, you know. I mean, I did as a kid,” said Appleton resident Sam Peterson.
Peterson isn’t against the overall idea, but he thinks there are alternatives that could be explored.
“Maybe another option would have an age limit for social media. So, instead of just like monitoring what they’re doing, just keep it 16 years or older — kids can’t have social media.”
But when asked about concerns about intruding on children’s privacy, Steffen says the bill presents the best way to protect children.
“In reality, we put restrictions on certain access and eligibility for children all the time. Can’t get a tattoo until they’re 18. Can’t buy alcohol or cigarettes until they’re 21. I think there’s a full understanding that children don’t have full access or rights that adults do.”
And others, like Appleton resident Vu Do, are in full support.
“It could be beneficial to let the parents decide what they want to do with their own child,” said Do. “The child is not a full adult yet to be able to make their own decisions yet.”
Steffen says that if the bill is passed, the social media companies will be responsible for implementing it. The legislation intentionally includes a deferred effective date of Aug. 1, 2024 to allow each social media platform to comply.
The bill does not require a government ID to verify age. They can be used, but parents can instead opt for facial recognition technology to determine a user’s age.
