Georgia bill proposes parental permission requirement for kids to join social media

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Under a recent push by Republican lawmakers, Georgia could join other states requiring children to have their parents’ explicit permission to create social media accounts such as Snapchat and Instagram.

WALB talked with behavior health therapists at Phoebe to get their thoughts on the pros and cons of the bill.

“There’s healthy and unhealthy boundaries when it comes to social media access and I think it all just depends on their maturity levels,” Shabricca Jones, a Phoebe behavior health therapist, said.

Jones’s colleague, Suzanna Warbington, said there would be pros and cons to additional monitoring.

“Research shows and hints towards some benefits being that feeling of ‘I’m not alone. I can reach out to someone, I’m close to that’ll be there when I reach out,’ and yet it really doesn’t take the place of in-person interaction or a stable home environment,” said Warbington.

But for some kids, social media could be the only way for them to connect.

“There may be some limitations there for kids in rural areas that are in rural areas who do not have the chance to be around others a lot. It kind of breaks the access to having someone to rely on like support groups,” said Jones.

“It is important for teenagers to feel like they have access and can reach out to their peers,” Warbington said. “And yet it really is going to be determined by what social media platforms are following. What they’re doing online. Who they’re choosing to like and follow. That’s really going to determine the outcome of their experience.”

We asked on Facebook, “Should kids be required parental permission to get on social media?”

The response was an overwhelming yes.

“It really does rely on that caretaker and the family to determine what is best for my child and really being willing and able to coach that teen along the way,” said Warbington. “As they grow and mature, just constant conversation on those risks and benefits of being online.”

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