Hawley introduced the Making Age-Verification Technology Uniform, Robust, and Effective (MATURE) Act and the Federal Social Media Research Act, the statement said on Tuesday.
The MATURE Act prohibits social media companies from offering accounts to users under age 16 and creates an audit process to hold companies accountable, the statement said. The Federal Social Media Research Act would fund a study to track social media’s effects on children over 10 years of age, as well as commission a report on the harms of social media to kids, the statement said.
"Children suffer every day from the effects of social media. At best, Big Tech companies are neglecting our children’s health and monetizing their personal information. At worst, they are complicit in their exploitation and manipulation," Hawley said on Tuesday. "We must set the precedent that these companies can no longer take advantage of our children."
US President Joe Biden in his State of the Union speech earlier this month also called for social media companies to be held accountable for the "experiment" they are running on children for profit.
Biden in his speech urged Congress to pass legislation preventing social media companies from collecting personal data on children and banning advertising targeted at children.