Washington Senate panel advances age-based restrictions for social media platforms
A Senate committee advanced a proposal on party lines Thursday to put responsibilities and restrictions on online companies and platforms that serve kids and teens. Supporters say the standards protect children from the documented harms of social media, while opponents argue the bill will not even have a chance to keep kids safe.
Senate Bill 5708 would require companies that provide online services to provide data and privacy protections to all users under 18 years old. Those protections include not collecting and using a minor’s personal information, not giving them notifications at certain periods of the day and not providing them an “addictive feed” that displays content based on the minor’s information.
Federal law regulates online privacy for children under 13. Recent attempts in Congress to bolster those regulations faltered, and some states have attempted to take the issue into their own hands.
Prime sponsor state Senator Noel Frame, D-Seattle, said her legislation aims to uphold the existing standards for kids under 13 while extending them to those 13 to 17.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/02/21/washington-senate-panel-advances-age-based-restrictions-for-social-media-platforms/