by Frank Bergman
Democrat lawmakers have passed a sweeping new bill in Massachusetts that would force social media users to prove their age, raising serious concerns about privacy, surveillance, and government overreach in the name of “protecting children.”
The legislation passed the state House by a 129–25 vote and would ban children under 14 from social media entirely, and require parental consent for teens aged 14 and 15.
Most significantly, however, the bill mandates that platforms implement age verification systems for all users.
If signed into law, the measure will take effect on October 1.
Mandatory ID for the Internet
At its core, the bill forces tech companies to verify users’ ages, but offers no clear guidance on how that should be done.
That responsibility is handed to Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, a Democrat.
Campbell will write the rules later, after the bill has been signed into law.
But the reality is already well understood as age verification systems require identity checks.
That means government-issued ID uploads, facial recognition scans, or behavioral tracking systems.
Yet, none of these systems can be limited to minors alone.
To identify underage users, every user must be verified.