U.S. bill to ban kids on social media creates debate in Maritimes

Four United States senators who are also parents have introduced a piece of legislation that's created quite a stir.

"We simply say kids 12 and under shouldn't be on a social media platform at all,” said Brian Schatz, a Democratic Senator from Hawaii.

The bill would require teens ages 13 to 17 to have their parent's permission to create an account on sites like Facebook or Instagram.

"I think most people agree with us, and I think public health experts will agree with us,” Schatz said.

Dr. Andrew Dutcher is a child and adolescent psychiatrist based in Calgary.

While he acknowledges the positive effects — like peer connection — that social media can have for kids, he deals with some of the downsides first-hand in his daily work.

"I do see that social media and screens, in general, have a negative impact on their sleep, and typically we end up seeing a lot of correlation between kids that have anxiety and depression — they're using a lot more screens and a lot more social media,” Dutcher said.

Marc Botte, who helps run 902 Advertising Group — a digital marketing company in Sydney, N.S., says an outright ban on kids under 13 using social media would be a slippery slope and difficult to enforce.

"I think it's a terrible idea, for a few reasons,” Botte said. "Whose behaviour is criminalized? Does the burden fall upon the parents, or does it fall upon the social media companies? Are parents realistically going to be able to enforce a law like this? And is that a reasonable burden to put on them?"

From left, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Conn., who have introduced legislation to protect kids on social media, chat together after an interview, Wednesday, May 3, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Then, if this were to become law in the U.S., should Canada — or any other country — consider following suit?

"The issue that we have right now is that we don't educate parents and we don't educate youth as to how to use this technology safely, and by banning it we're just shirking our responsibility for that education,” Botte said.

Back in Calgary, Dutcher, who is also a father of three, says his oldest is getting close to the age kids often start asking questions about social media and online content.

"As far as social media goes, I think they get all of the social connection that they need from the family that we have right here,” Dutcher said.

The U.S. bill would also prohibit social media companies from using algorithms to recommend content to users under 18.