By Okon Ekpenyong

Ohio Governor DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Husted are joining other states and other US Senators in introducing legislation to help protect children from the harmful effects of social media.

Community leaders, parents, health officials, and state officials also are pushing for ways to protect kids online. They advocate for complete social media monitoring for some apps and sites under the social media Parental Notification Act.

By signing into law, Utah became the first state to require social media companies to obtain parental approval before allowing children to use their apps and to verify their age.

In a tweet, Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox wrote: “We will no longer allow social media companies to harm the mental health of our youth. As leaders and parents, we have a responsibility to protect our young people,” Utah Governor said.

A lack of social media monitoring can lead to several problems, including sextortion, money extortion, and cyberbullying.

Having come from the age of MySpace, Yahoo Chat, AOL Chat, MSN Chat, and Messenger, I found several issues that I had difficulty coping with. The individuals would, out of the blue, start asking me for money; some would tell me sad stories about losing their loved ones and belongings. Some were even surreal. However, as the conversation progressed, I began to question some things.

There are some gaming sites out there that are not always secure, and eventually, parents start discovering that their twelve-year-old daughter is chatting with adults older than twenty. It is important to note that children nowadays are highly tech-savvy, so even if their parents are blocking access to some websites, they will ask their friends how they can gain access.

Holding Social media outlets accountable is necessary, but parents gaining more control over their children’s online activities takes priority, and having a law or bill in place to regulate social media to ensure compliance makes this initiative a community and parental involvement.

The act is not yet a bill or a law in Ohio, but supporters of the measure state it can protect children. Certain Social media outlets must notify parents when their children use their services for consent purposes under the Social Media Parental Notification Act. This Act will give parents more control over their children’s online activities and help protect them from cyber-bullying and other online threats.

On the Federal level, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Katie Britt (R-Ala) did propose the parental Protecting Kids on Social Media Act.

The senators concluded: “The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act would not solve every digital age problem, but it would curb some of the worst abuses of social media companies that prioritize profit over our kids’ safety and well-being. Congress can no longer sit on the sidelines.”

What’s on the proposal:

• Anyone under 18 will need parental permission to open a social media account.
• Ensure that social media companies use the latest technology for age verification while prohibiting them from using the results for any other purpose.
• Ensure that children under 13 are not allowed to use social media by the current practice of major social media companies.
• Provide the FTC and state attorneys general with authority to enforce the bill’s provisions; Establish a pilot project to create a government-provided age verification system that platforms may decide to use.

Furthermore, the Mental Health Priorities of the bill will focus on providing children access to mental health resources and support systems. These initiatives aim to ensure children can access the resources they need to be safe online.

“The Surgeon General and children’s health experts have concluded that these platforms are responsible for negative physical and mental health outcomes for a generation of our children, and it is our responsibility to protect them by holding social media companies accountable for the consequences of what happens on their platforms,” said Lt. Governor Husted.

“Requiring social media companies to get parental approval before children under 16 have access to these addictive platforms is one way we can help parents protect their children.”

Support the New Americans magazine to continue to serve our community with precise news that affect the new American, immigrant and refugee community. https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=8LHFS78NRNJJY&source=url