A new Ohio law requiring some social media operators to obtain parental consent before creating an account will take effect on January 15.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) issued a press release announcing the matter.
“This law aims to give parents more control over their children creating new social media accounts,” Yost said. “So just like any other time, if you feel like you’ve been wronged by a company, we take those complaints and work to resolve any issues – this is no different.”
Under the new law, parents must approve accounts for children under the age of 16 as well as be given a list of “censoring or content moderation features,” the press release notes.
If a social media operator does not provide notification to a parent, or a “parent wishes to terminate a child’s access,” parents should contact the website operator.
The law covers traditional social media companies as well as “gaming platforms, shared message boards, etc. that target children or are reasonably anticipated to be accessed by children,” according to the OhioProtects website.
If companies do not abide by the law, they may be fined.
