Parental Approval for Youth Social Media Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ]
Introduced
Summary
Requires verifiable parental consent before children under age 16 can create or keep social media accounts. Platforms would need to verify a parent's approval and, when consent is given, operate parent-supervised accounts that include meaningful oversight tools defined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
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- Families: Parents must approve accounts for kids under 16 and get tools to monitor and manage those accounts.
- Platforms: Providers may not let users they know or should know are under 16 create or maintain accounts without verified parental consent. The FTC would set acceptable verification methods and required features for supervised accounts.
- Data and privacy: Information collected to verify parental consent can be used only as specified in rulemaking and may be retained only until the child reaches age 16 or the account is deleted, except where other law requires longer retention.
- Enforcement and scope: The FTC would enforce the rules and issue regulations. States could sue under parens patriae for injunctive relief, damages, restitution, and other relief. The definition of social media platform excludes email, text messaging, educational platforms, video conferencing, and incidental online gaming.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Parents must approve kids' social accounts
This bill would require social media sites to get verifiable parental permission before anyone under 16 can make or keep an account. If a parent agrees, the account would be a parent-supervised account with tools like time limits, message controls, purchase approvals, and the ability to view and manage the child's settings. Platforms would need to take reasonable steps to determine whether a user is a child and to verify parental permission. Data collected to check age or permission would only be kept until the child turns 16 or deletes the account, unless another law requires retention.
FTC rules and state enforcement
This bill would give the Federal Trade Commission authority to write rules on how sites check age, verify parents, and run parent-supervised accounts. Violations would be treated as unfair or deceptive acts under the FTC Act, letting the FTC use its usual enforcement powers and penalties. State attorneys general would also be able to sue on behalf of residents, but they would generally have to notify the FTC first. The FTC could join, intervene, or appeal state cases, and a state could not sue a defendant while the FTC has a pending action against that same defendant.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ]
AZ • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov