Tennessee: Minors Need Parental Consent to Use Social Media

A new law requiring children and teenagers to have parental consent to use social media platforms officially went into effect on January 1st in Tennessee. The legislation, HB1891, passed during the last legislative session, aims to empower parents and protect minors from harmful online content.

“This is one of those bills and now laws that just makes sense. It’s a bipartisan vote,” said Rep. Sam McKenzie (D-Knoxville).

The law introduces several measures granting parents increased control over their children’s social media usage. It allows parents to set daily screen time limits, enforce breaks, and supervise account activity.

According to Sen. Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville), the law seeks to ensure children’s online experiences remain safe and age-appropriate. “What it does is try to give parents some control over what their children are watching, how long they’re spending on social media, and when they can watch it,” Briggs stated.

Social media companies are now responsible for verifying users' ages and obtaining parental consent for minors. Briggs noted that platforms already utilize artificial intelligence for data mining and can leverage this technology for compliance. However, he and other lawmakers anticipate legal challenges.

“There will be lawsuits over this, and it’s going to get into the Freedom of Speech and freedom of access to information,” Briggs acknowledged.

Regardless, McKenzie emphasized its necessity, stating, “Your cell phone and your social media is a way to a lot of dark things that are going on in our society, and we’re just trying to make sure people aren’t viewing things that aren’t age appropriate.”

The new bill echoes similar legislation adopted in other countries that are tightening control of online services. Vietnam’s Decree 147 went into effect on the 25th of December, forcing large tech companies to verify the identity of Vietnamese users.