U.S. Congress Considers National Social Media Age Limits as States Act Separately

Australia introduced social media restrictions for users under 16 last December. The European Union said this week it would develop age-restriction policies for its 27 member countries. A bill introduced to U.S. Congress last June would prohibit social media use by those under 13. The measure has support from both parties but has not advanced and may not reach a vote.

The House of Representatives passed an alternative bill last month that would require platforms to limit design features encouraging compulsive use and to give parents account controls. The bill's fate in the Senate is uncertain. Attorneys general from 44 states and territories wrote to Congress opposing the measure.

The complaint states she created an account at age 11 without parental knowledge, despite the platform's minimum age of 13. Spence's family is suing Meta and is among hundreds of plaintiffs in similar cases. They are also advocating for a national age-based ban.

"At 11 years old I was getting weight loss tips on my explore page, and then it shifted into anorexia," Spence said.

Studies from Harvard and Yale have identified mental health benefits from social media use and suggest some harm claims are oversimplified. Psychologist Adam Omary at the Cato Institute argues that links between social media and poor mental health rest on weak scientific evidence and reflect correlation rather than causation.

Lawyer Matthew Bergman, who represents more than 1,200 clients in social media cases, maintains that financial penalties are required to change platform design. He said reforms must make continued operation of dangerous platforms more expensive than reform.