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Bill

HB 2657

Prohibiting social medial platforms from allowing children under 16 years of age to create, maintain or access an account unless the platform has obtained verified parental consent.

2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas HB 2657 requires social media platforms to obtain verified parental consent before allowing children under 16 to create accounts, shifting youth online access control to parents.

Died in Committee
#childrenandminors #consumerprotection
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Bill Summary · HB 2657

Legislative bill overview

HB 2657 would prohibit social media platforms from allowing children under 16 to create or use accounts without verified parental consent. The bill places the burden on platforms to implement age verification and parental authorization systems before minors can access social media services. This represents a significant regulatory intervention into digital platform operations and parental authority over children's online activity.

Why is this important

Social media use among minors has become a major public health and policy concern, with research linking heavy use to mental health issues, sleep disruption, and other developmental concerns. The bill attempts to shift control of children's social media access from the platforms and children themselves back to parents. Implementation would require substantial technological and operational changes across the social media industry and raises questions about how effectively age verification can be enforced.

Potential points of contention

  • Technical feasibility and privacy concerns: Age verification systems require collecting personal data from minors and parents, raising questions about data security, privacy, and whether such systems can reliably verify age without enabling identity fraud or misuse of personal information
  • Constitutional and commerce challenges: Courts have previously struck down age-restriction laws as potentially violating free speech rights and interstate commerce provisions; enforceability against out-of-state platforms may be legally questionable
  • Parental consent definition: The bill doesn't specify what "verified parental consent" means operationally—whether it requires active ongoing consent, how divorced or separated parents are handled, or how platforms verify parental identity

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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