Rep. O’Dea Testifies to Committee on Children in Support of SB 208
HARTFORD – On Tuesday, State Representative Tom O’Dea (R-125) testified to the Committee on Children in support of legislation protecting children from potential dangers of joining social media platforms when they are ill-prepared to discern such dangers. This bill has gained bipartisan support and the endorsement of children’s and parental rights organizations.
This legislation, SB 208, An Act Concerning Social Media and Parental Consent, would amend the federal Children’s Online Privacy Act (COPPA), which became law in 1998 and has been largely left unchanged since then. This bill would raise the age requirement by COPPA, which currently covers children under the age of thirteen, to sixteen years of age. This change would provide parents an expanded opportunity to protect their children by requiring social media platforms to obtain parental consent before allowing children to join.
Social media platforms have become increasingly harmful to younger children, particularly early teenagers. Anyone over the age of thirteen can have their data on social media platforms tracked to promote advertising or promote increased interest in the site. In this era of hyper-focused advertising, potentially harmful posts, body image comparisons, cyber bullying, and other dangers online, an update to internet protection laws is required for the future of our children. Facebook had internal data showing 32% of girls who previously felt bad about their body felt worse after using Instagram. This bill does not attempt to prevent all children under sixteen from using these platforms, but it does give parents more opportunity to protect their children.
“The immediate detrimental impacts of social media, to young girls especially, is very troubling. While the legislature is focusing on the mental and social welfare of our children, it is paramount that we address the role social media plays in contributing to these mental health crises,” Rep. O’Dea said.
This legislation has garnered bipartisan support from both the State House of Representatives and Senate. Additionally, the Connecticut Parent Teacher Association (CT PTA) submitted testimony in support of SB 208. “Establishing 16 as the age, before which children need parental consent, will encourage joining platforms at a later age for many. It will also call parents of children under 16 into the conversation, helping them actively engage with their child’s online behavior,” CT PTA said.
The Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) also supported this bill. OCA stated, “We absolutely must do more to protect the privacy and mental health of children by enhancing on-line protections for children, giving parents additional tools to monitor and block website access, and increasing transparency for social media companies’ algorithms and marketing with regard to children.”
Watch Rep. O’Dea’s full testimony here: https://youtu.be/RpbH7W5QIpM