Another US state bans kids from social media without parental consent

San Francisco, June 15 (IANS) The US state of Texas has banned kids under age 18 from joining social media platforms without parental consent.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the bill, called HB 18, that requires social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and TikTok to receive explicit consent from a minor’s parent or guardian before they’d be allowed to create their own accounts.

“A digital service provider may collect a minor’s personal identifying information if the minor’s parent or guardian consents in a manner that is specific, informed, and unambiguous and takes into account the minor’s age and the minor’s developmental and cognitive needs and capabilities,” read the bill.

The new bill also forces social media platforms to prevent children from seeing “harmful” content by creating new filtering systems.

Last week, Louisiana passed a similar bill to require parental consent.

States like Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and Ohio have also considered similar laws.

Utah became the first US state to enact laws limiting how children can use social media.

Republican Governor Spencer Cox signed measures in March that require parental consent before kids can sign up for social media websites.

The new Utah laws also require that parents be given access to their child’s accounts.