A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is pushing new legislation aimed at limiting gambling advertisements directed at children and teenagers online amid growing concerns about youth betting addiction.
Katie Britt and Richard Blumenthal have introduced the Gaming Advertisement to Minors Enforcement Act, which would ban digital gambling ads targeting anyone under age 18 on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
The proposal would give the Federal Trade Commission authority to enforce the rules, with penalties reaching up to $100,000 per violating advertisement.
The legislation comes as sports betting and online prediction markets continue to expand rapidly across the country. While most major gambling sites require users to be adults, lawmakers and child-safety advocates say minors are increasingly exposed to betting content through social media algorithms, influencers, podcasts and overseas websites.
The bill would not apply to broadly televised advertisements shown during sporting events or to gambling-related content actively searched for by minors online.
Supporters of the legislation argue that current safeguards by states and social-media companies have proven inadequate.
Recent research cited by lawmakers found that more than one-third of boys ages 11 to 17 reported gambling within the past year. Nearly 60% of adolescent boys who gambled and viewed betting content said the material had been recommended through online algorithms.
Britt said Congress has failed to do enough to protect children online as concerns grow over gambling addiction among young users.
The proposal is part of a broader push in Washington to tighten online protections for minors. Similar efforts involving social-media platforms and artificial-intelligence systems have faced opposition from technology companies and civil-liberties groups over concerns involving privacy and free speech.
Even if enacted, enforcement could prove difficult because of challenges verifying users’ ages and determining which advertisements specifically target minors.
Source: wsj