Tennessee lawmakers seek to require parental permission before children join social media

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s GOP-dominant Senate has unanimously signed off on legislation requiring minors to have parental consent to create social media accounts. The Tennessee Senate approved its version without debate, but they tacked on a last-minute addition to clarify the bill only applied to social media websites. That means the House chamber must approve those changes before it can go to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his approval. The bill is similar to pushes currently being made across the United States as concern grows over young people’s internet usage. Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Utah have all passed measures requiring parental consent for children to use social media.