Iowa lawmakers propose bill to require parental permission for social media accounts for minors

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) - Lawmakers in Iowa are proposing a bill which would require minors to get permission from their parents before creating social media accounts.

The bill already passed through a committee, and could be debated on the House floor this week.

The original version of the bill banned Iowans under 18 from creating social media accounts.

It has been amended to include parental consent after criticism from parents and large tech companies.

It would now prevent social media companies from collecting data from those under 18 without “verifiable parental consent.”

Republicans say this will help keep minors safe online, but critics say a law like this is overkill.

“I think we should be free to make choices for ourselves and our kids,” said Morgan Mendieta, a Des Moines parent.

A national, bipartisan network of tech CEO’s say mandatory age verification would also require companies to capture a massive amount of personal information.

They say it would essentially force all users to hand over data just to use the internet.

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