A bill banning online social media use by users under the age of 18 was recently passed by a Texas Senate committee. The bill is expected to be submitted to the Texas Senate for a formal vote, and may become the first state in the United States to ban users under the age of 18 from using online social media.
Whether the bill passes is expected to be confirmed after the state legislature ends on June 6, when it will be formally approved by the Senate and the governor within a week, making it a formal law.
This bill will force all online social media services to verify the actual age of account applicants, and even proposes allowing parents or guardians the right to delete their children's social media accounts. Online social media service platform operators must also cooperate to complete the deletion within 10 days, otherwise they will face relevant fines.
Previously, companies including Meta and Google have stipulated that their services must be used by users over the age of 14 (but the age limit has recently been relaxed for some services). Florida has also recently stipulated that users under the age of 14 are not allowed to use online social media. Even teenagers aged 14 or above must obtain the consent of their parents or guardians before using online social media services or creating new accounts.
