Congress bans under-13s from social media, forces schools to block it or lose federal funding
S. 278 — Kids Off Social Media Act · Filed by Brian Schatz (D-HI) · 14 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 28, 2025 · Reported out
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What it does
This bill prohibits social media platforms from allowing users under 13 to create accounts and requires deletion of their data upon discovery. It bans personalized recommendation algorithms for users under 17 (with narrow exceptions for device type, language, location, and age). Title II requires schools receiving federal broadband subsidies to block student access to social media on school networks and certify compliance annually, with funding penalties for non-compliance.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is age-based access restriction and algorithmic limitation for minors on social media platforms, paired with a school-network blocking requirement tied to federal funding. This is regulatory intervention in platform design and school network policy, not a market subsidy or commemorative measure.
What the text implies
- Title II's school-blocking requirement may inadvertently restrict legitimate educational uses of platforms (e.g., teacher-led instruction, school announcements via Facebook/Instagram), forcing schools to implement broad filters that may over-block.
- The 'personalized recommendation system' definition in Title I is broad and may capture algorithmic features in educational platforms, learning management systems, or news aggregators if they collect personal data and derive revenue from advertising—creating compliance uncertainty.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
School technology vendors (filtering/blocking software providers); Compliance consulting firms; Age-verification technology providers (if platforms voluntarily adopt them)