LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Thomas Albert this week introduced legislation to protect kids from harmful online influences in regard to social media and pornography.
Albert’s legislation would put guardrails around social media use by requiring children under age 16 to obtain parental consent before creating accounts. His plan also would strengthen age verification processes to prevent minors under age 18 from accessing pornographic sites.
“I have five young kids, and like the vast majority of parents, I worry about the dangers of online sites that fuel addiction and anxiety,” said Albert-R-Lowell. “This legislation puts some commonsense age parameters around sites that have a detrimental effect on our kids.”
Senate Bill 190 would require social media companies to establish a system of age verification for their account holders. Children under age 16 would need a parent’s consent to create an account, and parents would have the ability to supervise the account – including authority over time restrictions and privacy settings. Social media companies could be fined for violations.
Several other states already have enacted similar safeguards because of growing concerns about mental health for kids. The U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory in 2023, citing research that high school students spend an average of 3.5 hours per day on social media — and adolescents who spent more than three hours per day on the sites faced double the risk for depression and anxiety symptoms. The advisory also noted links between social media and bullying, exposure to hate-based content, and body image concerns.
Senate Bill 191 would require reasonable age verification methods — such as a review of government-issued identification or information — to access pornography sites. The commercial entity verifying age would not be allowed to retain any of the information once it is gathered and would be subject to legal action for violations. Michigan already has similar age verification requirements for online sports betting and casino gambling.
Currently, access is often granted to pornographic sites simply by clicking a pop-up box claiming the user is 18 years old with no documentation required. Many other states already have enacted stricter requirements to crack down on underage access to pornography.
“We spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year on mental health support for kids. We’ve got to do more to address the causes,” Albert said. “This legislation will help us safeguard our kids’ development and mental health.”
SBs 190 and 191 are expected to be officially read into the Senate record soon.
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