logo
State trying again to regulate social media for Ohioans under 16

State trying again to regulate social media for Ohioans under 16

Yahoo03-04-2025
Apr. 3—Ohio Republicans have introduced a plan to require parental consent before Ohioans under the age of 16 download an app after the state's first attempt at social media regulation was blocked by a federal court due to free speech concerns.
Ohio's previous plan attempted to make app operators themselves (Meta, X, TikTok, YouTube and others) responsible for verifying the age of its users, notifying parents of an attempted account creation, and blocking the account creation for users under 16 if the parent did not consent.
The new plan, contained in Senate Bill 167, represents a slight change in approach — ultimately putting the burden of obtaining and abiding by parental consent on app stores.
Under the bill, phone and operating system manufacturers would be required to take "commercially reasonable and technically feasible steps to determine or estimate the age of the primary user of the device."
From there, the bill would require app marketplaces like the Apple App Store or Google Play to obtain parental consent before any user the store operator "knows or should know is under sixteen years of age" can actually download the app.
Bill sponsor Sen. Michelle Reynolds, R-Canal Winchester, told reporters Thursday that S.B. 167 is "going to be able to withstand the constitutional challenges (that) at least we believe may come up."
"While the 'what' may be the same, the 'how' is different," Reynolds said.
However, it's not clear if the "how" will be different enough to escape a federal court's concerns.
In early 2024, when the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio blocked the state's first attempt, Judge Algenon L. Marbley argued that the legislation lacked the necessary elements to protect the First Amendment rights of both minors and app operators.
"Foreclosing minors under sixteen from accessing all content on websites that the Act purports to cover, absent affirmative parental consent, is a breathtakingly blunt instrument for reducing social media's harm to children," Marbley wrote at the time.
The lawsuit that foiled Ohio's first plan was brought by NetChoice, a tech trade association that acted on behalf of X, Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, Google and other tech giants. Bill sponsors said at least one of those industry powerhouses, Meta, is in support of this new legislation.
A bill identical to S.B. 167 will be introduced in the House by Rep. Melanie Miller, R-Brook Park. She told reporters Thursday that she believes the new approach "strikes a balance between protecting our children and upholding the First Amendment free speech rights."
She called the newly proposed framework user-friendly.
"When a teen tries to download an app on their smartphone, the parent would simply receive a notification on their phone to either approve or deny the download," Miller said. "The app wouldn't download on the teen's phone unless the parent approves it. This legislation will put parents, not the government, in charge of their children's online access."
Like the state's first attempt, S.B. 167 would require app operators to provide tools to allow parents to manage the accounts associated with their child, manage the age-appropriateness of content, and set usage limits on their child's account.
Neither S.B. 167 or its yet-to-be-named House counterpart have been referred to committee yet, but Miller and Reynolds said they're looking forward to the debate that's sure to ensure.
------
For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening.
Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

American dad DUPED into fighting on Russian frontlines after family fled US
American dad DUPED into fighting on Russian frontlines after family fled US

New York Post

time15 minutes ago

  • New York Post

American dad DUPED into fighting on Russian frontlines after family fled US

An American dad has been duped into fighting on the front lines of Russia's army. Derek Huffman and his wife, DeAnna, moved their three daughters, ages 10, 11 and 12, across the globe to avoid 'woke ideology" in the US in March. He joined the Russian military in the hopes of expediting citizenship for his family. Despite being assured he would serve a non-combat role – either as a welder or a correspondent – his wife DeAnna claimed in a since-deleted YouTube video that he's being 'thrown to the wolves.' Here's everything we know about the 'anti-woke' family who fled the US to Russia – and the dangerous turn of events they didn't see coming.

Meta has ended its bonus program on Threads
Meta has ended its bonus program on Threads

Engadget

time15 minutes ago

  • Engadget

Meta has ended its bonus program on Threads

It's still trying to lure new users, but it's done paying anyone to post. Meta is no longer paying creators to post on Threads. The company quietly ended the Threads bonus program, which offered some creators thousands of dollars a month in bonuses, earlier this year, Engadget has confirmed. The company hasn't officially commented on why it stopped the payments, but an Instagram support page that once listed details about the creator incentives no longer references Threads at all. In posts on Threads, creators who were once part of the program have said they stopped receiving payments around the end of April. That's roughly one year after Meta first started paying creators for popular posts. Though Meta never publicly shared a lot of details about how the program worked, creators who previously spoke with Engadget reported that they were able to earn monthly bonuses ranging from $500 to $5,000 in exchange for hitting specific metrics around post counts and views. It's not clear what Meta's strategy for creators on Threads is going forward. The company is still trying to lure more brands and notable faces to the platform, and has tested features to help people find popular creators they previously followed on X. Meta has also added creator-friendly tools, like the ability to add more links to profiles and more detailed analytics for the app. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement But Meta has yet to clearly explain what it can offer creators in return. The platform is hardly driving any traffic to outside websites. It's also much harder to build a following on Threads, since the platform defaults to an algorithmic timeline consisting mainly of recommended content. This means that it's easier for a post from an unknown account to go viral, but viral posts rarely lead to an influx of new followers. Meta may simply be calculating that Threads already has enough momentum without paying people for viral content. At the same time, Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly said he believes the app can be Meta's next billion-user platform. It's difficult to see how that happens without the buy-in of creators. Have a tip for Karissa? You can reach her by email, on X, Bluesky, Threads, or send a message to @karissabe.51 to chat confidentially on Signal.

House throttled by Epstein drama
House throttled by Epstein drama

The Hill

time15 minutes ago

  • The Hill

House throttled by Epstein drama

A HOUSE COMMITTEE voted Tuesday to subpoena convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein 's longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, as the groundswell from Republicans demanding transparency derailed the chamber's business for a second consecutive week. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted to authorize the subpoena following a motion put forward by Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), even as President Trump urges his party to drop the topic and move on. Republicans on the House Rules Committee adjourned Monday night without completing their work in order to dodge Democratic threats to stage additional votes to compel the release of new Epstein documents. So far, Trump's move to authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein case has failed to quell demands from Republicans on Capitol Hill for more transparency. Two federal judges on Tuesday asked the DOJ for more information before deciding whether to unseal the transcripts. Meanwhile, the DOJ said it planned to meet with Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 on sex trafficking charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison. 'I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days,' Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on X. 'Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now.' Trump on Tuesday said he wasn't following the new developments but that the DOJ's move 'sounds appropriate.' Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are caught between Trump's insistence that there's nothing more to uncover and demands from the rank-and-file to release all government files on the case. The turmoil stems from a DOJ report released earlier this month that determined Epstein did not keep a 'client list,' which many on the right believed would include the names of powerful people implicated in Epstein's crimes. To date, Maxwell is the only person to have been convicted in the case. Epstein died by suicide in a jail cell in 2019 as he was awaiting trial. Tensions are running hot on Capitol Hill, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) swiping at Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who cosponsored a measure with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) that would force a vote on releasing more Epstein documents. 'Bless his heart,' Johnson said when asked if he'd support Massie's reelection bid. Massie has repeatedly broken with Trump over spending and been a thorn in the side of GOP leaders. Trump has threatened to back a primary challenge against Massie. In an interview with NBC News, Massie said that move would 'backfire tremendously.' 'They're trying to beat up on me in order to keep everybody else in line here,' he said. But Johnson is also dealing with a revolt from other members. 'I led Republicans in a serious resolution — that protects victims — to expose the truth about the Epstein files, just like President Trump promised. But leadership is stalling,' Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) posted on X. 'The American people deserve action, not excuses. Let's vote on it before August recess and get it DONE!!' Johnson said this week the House would not vote on a resolution calling for the release of some Epstein documents, saying he wanted to give the DOJ 'space' as it seeks to unseal grand jury testimony. The Speaker on Tuesday said he supports 'maximum transparency' but is concerned about releasing information about Epstein's victims. 'Some of them were minors, some of them were not,' Johnson said. 'When the Epstein records are turned over to the public, which we must do as quickly as possible, we have to also be very judicious and careful about protecting innocent.' The House will adjourn a day earlier than scheduled this week, with lawmakers leaving town Wednesday. They'll return in September.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store