Tisdel Wants Age Verification For Social Media

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 11/14/2025) "If you remember only three words out of this presentation: minors can't consent,” Rep. Mark Tisdel (R-Rochester) said to the Regulatory Reform Committee in support of his HB 4388, which would require age verification to sign up for a social media account.

Since minors cannot consent, they cannot agree to terms of use agreements – which are contracts – for the use of websites for adults or ages 13 plus, and they can't sign a monthly service contract for cellphone service without parents or a guardian.

Tisdel said his bill would apply that same logic to social media.

"Everybody here that's read all of the terms of use agreements for the social media platforms, raise your hand," Tisdel said to a panel of members whose hands remained hidden. "I didn’t think so."

Tisdel dropped a large file on the table, flagged with bookmarks that he said highlight the points that make the terms of use agreement a contract.

Tisdel testified that the earlier a child is exposed to social media use, the worse their mental wellbeing becomes as it can lead to alienation, which is a precursor to depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.

"The longer we can hold that off – a kid getting their first smartphone - the better. And why do they want a smartphone? So they can be online, so they can be on social media," Tisdel said.

In an effort to prevent children under 18 from being as online as they are, his bill requires age verification by a third party, and if a minor wants online access to social media, their parents have to create an account for them, which would mean the parent has the login information and can monitor as they see fit.

Megan Stokes of the Computer & Communications Industry Association testified in opposition, stating that courts have consistently stricken down laws regarding age verification and parental consent for violating the First Amendment and burdening lawful speech. She said age verification services are unreliable and raise privacy risks by requiring collection of sensitive data like government identification information.

"These mandates could deter users, threaten small business viability and, ironically, expose individuals to greater privacy harms if passed," Stokes said, adding that members of her association are already addressing social media use of minors by exploring parental controls, time limits and enhanced privacy settings.

Caden Rosenbaum, managing director of technology policy at the Reason Foundation, testified that he doesn't disagree with the bill's intention, but he believes the bill is fraught with privacy concerns and other laws struck down in courts are not a small expense to taxpayers.

Rosenbaum said Michigan has nothing to gain by throwing its hat in the ring with a similar bill. For these reasons, he urged the committee to seek alternate methods to protect children online and empower parents.

Reg Reform Hears About Additional Training For Bouncers

Bouncers hired as unlicensed security at bars would be required to undergo training to avoid and identify positional asphyxia, or suffocation due to being in the wrong bodily position while being restrained, under Rep. Joseph Pavlov (R-Kimball Township)’s HB 5060 and HB 5061.

His bills received testimony in the House Regulatory Reform Committee on Thursday.

The mandatory training would teach the bouncer what positional asphyxia is and how to identify it, how drugs and alcohol can increase the likelihood of it, how to monitor a restrained individual's state of being, how to properly restrain individuals safely and how to seek medical assistance if necessary.