COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tech giant Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, testified on an Ohio bill to require age verification to download from app stores.
Millions of kids use social media.
"I'm a parent," Jennifer Hanley said. "I know teens are on so many apps."
That’s why Hanley headed to the Ohio Statehouse to testify in support of House Bill 226, which would require age verification for all app store purchases or downloads for minors.
"The broad support of parents and lawmakers across political and ideological spectrums should not be ignored," she said.
State Rep. Melanie Miller, who introduced the bill, said this would hold companies accountable — ones like Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
Manufacturers would need to create a way for parents to give consent for kids under 16 to download any application, and then that will be sent to social media apps.
"I’m introducing this legislation to protect children from harmful content, reduce mental health risks, enhance data privacy, and encourage responsible technology use," Miller said.
Although House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) likes the bill, she is skeptical of the tech giant.
"All you have to do is look at the opposition that they have waged not only in state legislation in this space, but also federal legislation in this space," Russo said.
Meta has been filing lawsuits against social media age requirements across the country, including in Ohio. The state legislature passed restrictions on media apps for kids under 16 in 2023, but it has now been blocked by a federal judge due to free speech concerns.
RELATED: Judge blocks Ohio law requiring parental consent for teen social media use
This bill is different because it is not just targeting social media apps, but all apps, Hanley testified.
Attorney General Dave Yost filed a lawsuit, saying that the company used "manipulative tactics to entice teens and tweens."
Russo agrees, adding that the company could be doing much more to protect kids.
"Do I think that it is going to be as effective as some of the other things we know they have the capacity to do using their own algorithms?" she said rhetorically. "Probably not."
Only in the past year, Meta created a teen program to monitor and restrict what minors can access and who they can talk to.
"We're always learning, we're always building," Hanley said. "Teen accounts are a really great example of that."
The bill will continue being heard in the coming months.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.
