The Columbus Dispatch
Calling social media addictive and dangerous, the DeWine administration urged Ohio lawmakers on Monday to keep its restrictions on how minors access platforms like Tiktok and Snapchat in the state budget.
“It’s leading to the deaths of young people,” Lt Gov. Jon Husted said. “It’s time that we did something about it.”
The administration’s plan, which the Senate added back into the budget, would require social media companies to verify the age of all new account users and get parental approval for anyone younger than 16. This verification could be done with a driver’s license, credit card, video chat, or phone call. Parents of minors could restrict the content their children access and limit how many hours they spend online.
And the Ohio Attorney General’s Office could prosecute and fine companies that don’t comply.
“It’s a warning label (for parents),” said Lori Cross, director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have largely avoided usage regulations over the last decade. But growing concerns about online bullying, hate speech, misinformation, and the harmful effects of excessive use on mental health have motivated lawmakers nationwide to pass restrictions.
Utah passed a law in March that required parental controls up until age 18, mandatory shut-offs from 10:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. and parental access to all their children’s messages.
“You can certainly do it the way Utah has done it,” Gov. Mike DeWine said. “I think the most important thing is that we do something in this area. And the key, to me, is really putting the ball in the court of the parents.”
Ohio’s version of the law would apply broadly as any platform that lets users create profiles, interact with other users, and post content online. That means it would include online games like Roblox and chatrooms like Discord. E-commerce reviews and comments on news articles would be exempt, according to the Senate’s budget.
Husted told reporters to think of it like this: Parents wouldn’t allow strangers to talk to their children for hours unsupervised, but that’s what can happen in online gaming.
He also said he thinks this form of parental control can be done immediately through the state budget. Constitutionally, Ohio’s two-year spending plan must be signed by June 30, so it’s possible this law could go into effect July 1.
“We have given all these companies the chance to weigh in,” Husted said. “I believe they finally get that this is happening.”
But enforcement, especially when children cross state lines, may not be so simple. Could a child from Ohio create an account while visiting a state that doesn’t require parental consent? Would social media companies create different systems for each state or follow the strictest state standards for all American children?
Husted and DeWine said Congress should create national guardrails for minors, but until then Ohio is going to pass its own.
In April, a bipartisan bill called Protecting Kids on Social Media Act was introduced in Congress. That legislation would require parental consent until 18, ban platforms from using algorithms to feed content to minors, and create an age-verification credentialing system for new accounts.
