INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana's House and Senate have passed two bills aimed at protecting children from online dangers and strengthening protections for missing youth. Both measures are now on the governor's desk.
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The legislation was advanced in part after Beau Buzbee, the father of Hailey Buzbee, met with lawmakers and urged them to pass the bills, which he said could have saved his daughter's life.
The first measure, House Bill 1303 — dubbed Hailey's Law — gives law enforcement the authority to classify certain missing youth as "high risk," allowing for faster activation of alert systems. The Indiana Youth Services Association says the legislation could save lives.
Genevieve Meyer, development coordinator for the Indiana Trafficking Victims Assistance Program, said the speed of law enforcement's response is critical.
"Having the approach of maybe they ran away, they will come back, you know, and being a little more slow to move on it could be the difference between life and death and of the child coming home."
The second measure, House Bill 1408, places restrictions on social media use for minors. Under the bill, children under 16 cannot create a social media account without parental consent. Platforms would also be required to terminate existing accounts if the company does not have parental consent for a user under 16.
State Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, said the bill includes tools for parents to monitor their children's activity.
"When a parent gives consent, the platform must offer them a separate parental password with the ability to actually go in and monitor their child's time spent, set daily and weekly time limits, and daytime and restrictions and access the account at any time."
If social media companies violate the restrictions, the attorney general's office can pursue penalties under the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act. Lawmakers acknowledged on the floor that the legislation could prompt lawsuits from social media companies, but said they feel it is their duty to act.
One supporter cited alarming statistics tied to social media use among young people.
"The results we are looking at is 65.3% in female suicide rates since 2010, and they can directly relate that back to their time on social media. For males, it is 35%."
Beau Buzbee posted on Facebook that the passage of the bills is a victory for Indiana, but added that more work needs to be done. He thanked lawmakers for passing the legislation before the end of the session.
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