(TheConservativeTimes.org) – A new law in Texas will require parental approval for a child to create a social media account.
House Bill 18, or the SCOPE Act, went into effect after. Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed the legislation last year. Republican State Representative Shelby Slawson said in a committee hearing last year that there are threats that unmonitored social media accounts could pose for children. She cited cyberbullying and potential child predators.
Slawson said, “A Texas teenager was rescued from a shed in North Carolina where she was being held by a predator who allegedly lured her away by a chat app.”
Just last week a judge blocked provisions that would require social media companies to filter out harmful content. However, the judge did allow the requirement of parental consent for children to create social media accounts and the authority for parents to supervise their children’s online activity as well.
”While we strongly agree with the underlying intent of the bill, we oppose the bill as filed,” Antigone Davis, a spokesperson for Meta said, adding, “We’ve built over 30 tools to help young people be safe and have a positive experience on our platform.”
“We have parental supervision tools, set time limits, and the ability for parents to see who their child is following.”
In the hearing, a Meta representative argued that the social media accounts already have safeguards in place to protect children and that they use AI to screen accounts for fake birth dates being entered to create an account.
A child psychiatrist with the Texas Medical Association, Brian Dixon, explained what he’s observed in young patients.
Dixon said, “Now kids have access to all things all the time, and there is no filter. They have no perspective to when they are being advertised and when they are not.”
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