by Jon Styf
Social media companies in Tennessee will need to verify parental consent before allowing minors to create accounts in the state starting Jan. 1.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill, which along with age verification and parental consent, requires social media companies to allow parents access to monitor the account with privacy settings, daily time restrictions and creating breaks where the minor cannot use the social media.
“Parents know best and we must empower them with tools to protect their kids online,” Lee said in a statement.
The bill also allows the Tennessee attorney general to bring action against the company for a violation and allows the attorney general to recover the costs of bringing the action.
House Bill 1891 does not apply to peer-to-peer payment platforms, cloud storage or technical support apps.
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Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter of The Center Square who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies.
Photo “Gov. Bill Lee” by Gov. Bill Lee.
