PA House Passes Social Media Rules Aimed At Kids, Teens

HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Wednesday passed legislation aimed at regulating how social media companies interact with children who use their platforms.

The bipartisan bill passed in a 105-95 vote, according to a news release. While most Republicans opposed the bill, 10 voted with most Democrats in favor of it. If passed, the bill would also require consent from a parent or legal guardian for anyone younger than 16 to open a social media account.

"This bill will not solve all problems with social media, but what it does do is give parents a tool to help prevent bullying and other problems associated with these platforms," Rep. Brian Munro, D-Bucks, said in a statement.

If passed, the bill would strengthen age verification on social media platforms by not only requiring parental consent but also notifying parents if a child under 16 opens a social media account without permission.

The legislation would also prohibit social media companies from "data mining" users under 18, a process where companies sift through user data to find information or develop insight into patterns or habits.

The bill would also require social media platforms to allow users to report conduct such as threats or bullying, as well as publicize a policy for how they will respond to those reports.

Munroe said he crafted the legislation after meeting three former Tamanend Middle School students who won an award from C-SPAN in 2023 for their documentary, "America’s Silent Struggle: Social Media’s Impact on Teens’ Mental Health."

While speaking on the House floor this week, Munroe cited the "ongoing negative impact on our youth’s mental health" from content found on social media and how it helps drive an increase of anxiety and depression in teens, according to a PennLive.com report.

"This was a cry for help from a generation suffering the brunt of social media’s impact,” Munroe said, adding that social media companies have "raked in profits with minimal accountability."

The bill faces an uncertain future as similar laws are currently being challenged in court.

In a statement provided to the Associated Press, the Washington-based Computer and Communications Industry Association — whose members include Google, owner of YouTube, and Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram — said similar legislation infringes on a person's right to access content and engage in "open online expression."

"There are also significant data privacy and security concerns associated with the data collection that would be required to verify a user’s age and a parent/legal guardian’s relationship to a minor," the association's statement read.

The bill now heads to the state Senate for consideration.