Texas probes tech platforms over safety and privacy of minors

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Texas Attor­ney Gen­er­al Ken Pax­ton said on Thursday his office launched investigations into over a dozen technology platforms over their privacy and safety practices for minors.

Those being probed included artificial Intelligence chatbot startup Character.AI and fourteen other platforms like Reddit, Instagram and Discord, the Texas attorney general added.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

Tech platforms have come under increasing scrutiny over their impact on children. Top U.S. social media platforms made an estimated $11 billion in advertising revenue from users younger than 18 in 2022, according to a Harvard study published last year.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy last year warned that young people using social media risked suffering body image issues, disordered eating, poor sleep quality and low self-esteem, especially among adolescent girls.

KEY QUOTE

“Technology companies are on notice that my office is vigorously enforcing Texas’ strong data privacy laws,” Paxton said.

CONTEXT

Social media companies have said they will work with officials to protect young users, and say they have introduced new tools designed to protect teens online, including parental control features. The firms had no immediate comment on Thursday.

Paxton’s statement said the probes would focus on the platforms’ compliance with two Texas laws – the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act and the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA).

The SCOPE Act bans digital service providers from sharing, disclosing, or selling a minor’s personal identifying information without permission from the child’s parent or legal guardian. The legislation requires firms to provide parents with tools to manage and control the privacy settings on their child’s account.

The TDPSA imposes notice and consent requirements on companies that collect and use minors’ personal data, Paxton’s office said.