From curfews to bans, US lawmakers set their sights on new social-media rules for kids Getting your posting permit… could soon be a new rite of passage. Last week federal lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill that seeks to establish a national minimum age for posting on social. The “Protecting Kids on Social Media Act'' would bar platforms like TikTok, Snap, and Instagram from letting kids younger than 13 create accounts — and require platforms to get parental consent to open accounts for users under 18. Studies have linked social media use to anxiety and depression in teens. • Social-media security #? The bill aims to create a government-run age-verification system based on identity-validating documents (though companies could use in-house tech to perform the check). • Not recommended for you: Social platforms would be barred from surfacing targeted content to minors. Not included: tween-fave gaming services like Roblox and Fortnite. • Comments section: Supporters want to limit platforms’ ability to keep kids scrolling endlessly, but critics say enforcement would require massive data collection and could infringe on free-speech rights. Sweet 16 FOMO… This year intensifying scrutiny of social media’s effect on kids has led to new legislation. The bipartisan “Kids’ Online Safety Act” is set to be reintroduced in the Senate, and another bill, proposed in February, would set a social age threshold of 16. Age-verification laws were passed in Arkansas and Utah recently, with Utah adding a 10:30 p.m. social curfew for kids. This year dozens of US school districts have sued platforms like TikTok, Meta, and YouTube, alleging they’re “knowingly creating this unprecedented mental-health crisis.” THE TAKEAWAY Time (online) is money… Engagement = $$ in the form of ads served. Half of US teens say they’re online “almost constantly.” They’re the most engaged demographic, and the most susceptible to negative mental-health effects. Platforms might see their revenue threatened by rules for minors. The bill’s cosponsor Sen. Brian Schatz predicted an “army of lobbyists” would fight it from becoming law.