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Children under 13 would be banned from social media under bipartisan Senate bill

How social media usage impacts younger and older teens

A new bipartisan bill would require parental consent for anyone under 18 to use social media.

During a news conference on Wednesday, senators from both sides talked about the harmful impacts of social media and how companies use algorithms to manipulate children.

According to studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly two-thirds of high school girls and nearly one-third of high school boys feel persistently sad or hopeless. And 22 percent of all high schoolers have seriously considered suicide.

In addition to parental consent, the bill would also ban users under the age of 13 from accessing social media platforms.

It also creates a pilot program for a new age verification credential and bans algorithmic boosting that uses personal data to feed content.

Lawmakers call it a ‘common sense’ bill.

Reports show teens spent an average of nearly nine hours every day on social media.

What do you think about the proposed bill? Do you agree with it or disagree? Let us know in the comments section below!