AUGUSTA, Maine (WGME) — State Representative Ken Fredette is proposing a bill that would require social media companies to enforce age limit requirements.
“Children can’t buy cigarettes, they can’t drink under the age of 21, they can’t enlist in the military until they’re 18, and so really, when you’re talking about these platforms, [they can] have a very negative impact on children. I think this is something who’s time has come,” Fredette said.
LD 844 would require social media companies to verify the age of anyone looking to become an account holder.
Fredette says the bill seeks to prevent children under age 16 from opening their own social media accounts.
“It would make sense for kids under 16 to not be able to have social media so that they can focus on their crucial aspects of development, which would be social development, emotional regulation, and school,” Aubrey Paradis, a local, said.
With parental consent, those who are 14 or 15 years old could have their own accounts, but children under 14 would be prohibited.
“There’s a lot of cyber bullying that happens, so anything that could curb the bullying would be really beneficial,” Sienna Conant, a seventh grade teacher, said.
Fredette says social media can have negative impacts on children.
This is really about protecting the mental health of children, reducing exposure to online predators, preventing cyber bullying or peer pressure, limiting harmful content,” Fredette went on.
9-year-old Sofia says many kids at her school have social media accounts.
“They wouldn’t be happy that they didn’t have it,” Sofia said.
Most adults we spoke with on Saturday were in favor of this bill.
“I think this would be beneficial for kids’ mental health,” Paradis said. “There’s a lot of anxiety, there’s lots of low confidence…cyber bullying, being online, definitely changes a teen’s brain.”
The bill does not name specific social media platforms that would be affected.
A public hearing is scheduled for this bill later this month.
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