Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, introduced legislation that would ban the use of social media for anyone under 16.
Stewart announced the legislation on his website Thursday. The bill would make it unlawful for social media platforms to provide access to children under 16.
According to a statement from his office, "The rates of teen and adolescent depression, anxiety, and suicide have risen at unprecedented levels since the emergence of social media."
Stewart added: "Our nation's young people are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis. More than 40% of teenagers say that they struggle with feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and more than half of parents express concern over their children's mental well-being. There has never been a generation this depressed, anxious, and suicidal – it's our responsibility to protect them from the root cause: social media.
"To all those who say this would be an overstep by our government, I understand your concern. And I share your ideological belief that more government usually makes life worse, not better. But we have countless protections for our children in the physical world – we require car seats and seat belts; we have fences around pools; we have a minimum drinking age of 21; and we have a minimum driving age of 16. The damage to Generation Z from social media is undeniable – so why are there no protections in the digital world? It's well past time that we take bold, comprehensive action for the sake of our kids."
Stewart's Social Media Child Protection Act would make social media platforms responsible for verfiying age by using methods such as ID verification. It also gives the authority to states to bring a civil action on behalf of residents.
Any social media platform found in violation could face fines.
Stewart's bill comes as Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said he believes 13-year-olds are too young to join social media and that being on those platforms does a "disservice" to those children. Scientists have previously warned that joining social media platforms might negatively affect the mental health of children.
Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter allow users 13 years and older on their platforms, according to Axios. TikTok users in the U.S. who are younger than 13 can use it with a Children Privacy Policy that limits the information that can be collected. It also prevents them from messaging other users or allowing others to see their user profile.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.