1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

I urge you to oppose any federal legislation that would ban social media for young people. Such bans are misguided and harmful. First, children under 13 are already restricted from social media under existing federal law (COPPA). Broader bans only criminalize parents who make informed decisions about their children's online activity. Research shows roughly 90% of under-13 social media use is family-mediated, with parents' full knowledge. These bans punish responsible parenting rather than solving real problems. Second, social media bans violate young people's First Amendment rights and deprive them of vital information and community. For marginalized youth—including LGBTQ+ teens and abuse victims—these platforms provide access to affirming communities and life-saving resources that may not exist in their offline environments. Third, enforcing social media bans requires invasive age verification systems that harm everyone's privacy. Companies will demand government IDs, facial scans, or other intrusive tools. This creates digital barriers for vulnerable populations, including unhoused and migrant youth who lack access to documentation. Rather than banning platforms, Congress should focus on comprehensive privacy legislation that limits exploitative practices—addictive algorithms, data harvesting, microtargeting—that actually harm young people. Regulation that protects privacy and free expression is more effective than censorship. Please oppose federal social media bans and instead champion solutions that address the real harms through oversight and accountability.