Bill would require info on parental controls in device sales

The measure would assign responsibility to several island government entities to actively guide and promote the use of parental controls on electronic devices among citizens and to protect minors who browse the internet and use social media.

By The Star Staff

Rep. José Aponte Hernández announced on Tuesday the filing of House Bill 425, which implements, for the first time, guidelines for the use of parental controls on social media.

“Our goal is to protect minors from the use of social media platforms by criminals to harm these children,” the veteran lawmaker said. “With this legislation, we make it mandatory for sellers of digital devices with internet access to inform consumers about the use of parental controls when a minor uses them and how to implement those controls. This is a security measure against the alarming use by criminals of social media to commit their crimes.”

The measure would assign responsibility to the Department of Consumer Affairs, Office of Innovation and Technology Services, and Public Service Regulatory Board to actively guide and promote the use of parental controls on electronic devices among citizens and to protect minors who browse the internet and use social media.

According to the measure’s provisions, device sellers can include parental control information on the purchase receipt, using a quick response code (QR Code) that the buyer can access and be directed to a landing page with parental control information. It can also be done through a link sent to the buyer’s email and/or via text message, or on paper when neither of those methods is available.

In addition, upon request, the purchaser will be assisted and provided with information on how to configure the security measures on the device and a description of its parental control functions, including how parents, guardians or those responsible for minors can restrict or filter their children’s access to certain websites, applications and content, and restrict the amount of time spent in front of the device’s screen.

In total, some 35 states have implemented similar legislation to protect minors.

In 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children ‘s CyberTipline received 34.5 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation.

A 2024 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center on 1,391 American teens between the ages of 13 and 17 found that the vast majority of them use social media and own a smartphone. Nearly half of them said they are constantly online. The platform the teens reported using most is YouTube, followed by TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.