OHIO – Governor DeWine spoke today to discuss the Social Media Parental Notification Act.
In a press conference Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted is championing a new proposal that would require certain online companies to obtain verifiable parental consent to contractual terms of service before permitting kids under the age of 16 to use their platforms. This proposal was submitted as part of the Governor’s 2023-24 executive budget presented to the Ohio General Assembly last week.
Social Media Parental Notification Act
- Companies must:
- Create a method to determine whether the user is a child under the age of 16
- Obtain verifiable parental or legal guardian consent
- Send written confirmation of the consent to the parent or legal guardian
- If the user indicates that they are under the age of 16 via the splash page, the following methods can be used for verification:
- Sign a digital form consenting to the terms of service
- Use a credit card, debit card, or other online payment system
- Call a toll-free telephone number
- Connect to trained personnel via video-conference
- Check a form of government-issued identification
- Who this includes:
- Social media and online gaming/activities companies: Facebook (Meta), Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, etc.
- Who this does NOT include:
- E-commerce: Online shopping
If a parent or legal guardian fails or refuses to consent to the terms of service, the company must deny access or use of the online website, online service, online product, or online feature by the child. If passed by the Ohio General Assembly and signed into law by Governor DeWine, companies would have 90 days to comply
During today’s press conference health officials spoke of teen suicide, and monitoring children’s social media. You can watch it here: https://fb.watch/l6ZbxHkwDs/
