“The FTC should examine platforms’ advertising and contract-making with children as a deceptive or unfair trade practice, perhaps requiring written parental consent.”
Citation: Project 2025, Section 5.4: Federal Trade Commission, Adam Candeub, page 907, paragraph 3
Context:
This is an argument that minors shouldn’t be allowed on social media without parental consent. This would be difficult to enforce. He goes on to argue the COPPA (Chld Online Privacy Protection Act) only protects children under the age of 13, so he really does mean all minors under 18 should require parental consent for social media.
I don’t disagree in principle that social media can be harmful to children and teenagers, but this feels like a parenting issue to me – if that’s the way you feel, don’t allow your children to be on social media. This is not to say I disagree with protecting children online. Quite the opposite. But an ounce of prevention, as they say.
Full contextual analysis of Section 5.4: Federal Trade Commission here.