The Parental Notification by Social Media Operators Act, approved by the General Assembly in July, will take effect on Jan. 15, 2024. The new law will require children under 16 to acquire parental permission for social media use. Lawmakers and advocates hope the legislation will give parents more control over their children’s internet content consumption and social media activities.
New Law Requires Parental Permission
According to a news release from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office, the Ohio Attorney General is charged with enforcement of this law, which applies to websites, services and products that are targeted to children or reasonably expected to be accessed by children. Beginning Jan. 15, operators must obtain parental consent before establishing accounts for children under the age of 16. They also must present parents with a list of censoring or content moderation features.
When consent is granted, operators must then send written confirmation of the account to the parent or legal guardian. When consent is not given, operators must deny the child access to the platform.
Advocates Hope to Protect Children
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted advocated for this new law. He believes that the law is a way to protect kids from social media addiction and harmful, disturbing content that can be on the platforms.
“When you know a product is harmful, whether it’s been cigarettes or something else, we’ve had to step in and find ways to limit or mitigate the harmful nature of that product,” Husted told the Statehouse News Bureau.
News 19 reports that the push for the new law comes after Streetsboro High School Senior James Woods took his own life last year because he was the victim of sextortion. Activists believe that James is an example of the harms social media can cause children.
US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a warning earlier this year, saying children under 14 should not use social media. The Centers for Disease Control, suicide is the second leading cause of death among LGBTQ youth 10 to 14 years old and the third leading cause for people aged 15-24. Many experts believe that negative social media interactions can contribute towards feelings of depression and anxiety in children and teens.
Given that a Pew Research study last year showed nearly all teens have smartphones and 95% of them use YouTube and two-thirds use TikTok, lawmakers and advocates hope that this law gives parents more oversight and control.
Under the Parental Notification by Social Media Operators Act:
- Operators must obtain parental consent before establishing accounts for children under the age of 16
- Operators must present parents with a list of censoring or content moderation features
- When consent is granted, operators must then send written confirmation of the account to the parent or legal guardian
- When consent is not given, operators must deny the child access to the platform
- If parents are unsuccessful in the account being deleted, they are encouraged to file a complaint with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at OhioProtects.org
- The new law does not require operators to notify parents about accounts created before Jan. 15, 2024