A children’s online safety bill package passed in the Michigan Senate Wednesday.
The legislation would largely bar children from using social media without parental consent, block notifications to kids overnight and during the school day, and ban targeted advertising aimed at children.
Online platforms would only be allowed to store the minimum amount of personal data about children that they’d need to check their age.
The bills would also give parents more control over privacy settings and hold AI companies responsible if their chatbot leads to a child being hurt.
State Senator Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores) is a package co-sponsor. He said the bills would give parents more power to keep their kids safe.
“I will not accept anything less. I refuse to raise my children in a world where big tech profits at their expense and the expense of their friends and classmates,” Hertel said.
Under the bills, social media companies and other online platforms could face maximum fines between $5,000 and $50,000, depending on which provision they’d violate.
During the committee process, the business community shared concerns about extra burdens the policy would place on platforms. Others raised concerns about companies potentially collecting more data than they otherwise would to verify ages.
The bills passed with most Republicans and one Democratic Senator voting against them.
Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Twp.) unsuccessfully tried to add a social media ban for all minors under 16 years old.
“If we really care about ending this addiction that is harming our kids, we need to cut off the supply. Not half measures that this is,” Nesbitt said during a speech from the Senate floor.
Both Nesbitt and state Senator Jonathan Lindsey (R-Coldwater) accused Democrats of shutting them out and not working seriously across the aisle to address children’s online safety.
“There is bipartisan work being done on this issue and there (are) tons of opportunity to collaborate. And, instead, what we see is the majority in this chamber deciding to put politics ahead of actually fixing problems for our kids,” Lindsey said during a Senate speech.
But the bills’ Democratic sponsors said Republicans didn’t come to them with any suggested changes until Wednesday, when the legislation went before the state Senate, despite Nesbitt saying he’s wanted to bring forward his social media ban for weeks.
“I don’t believe they brought us any ideas. The bills were introduced on December 17th of last year, testimony on March 4th, and voted out of committee on March 24th,” state Senator Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) told reporters after the vote.
The bills now go to the Republican-controlled Michigan House of Representatives, where Democratic supporters say they’re open to collaboration to get the package passed.
