The Parental Approval for Youth Social Media Act of 2026 aims to enhance the safety of children using social media by mandating parental consent for minors to create or maintain accounts on these platforms. Recognizing the mental health risks associated with social media use among children, the legislation seeks to provide additional protections for young users. A key provision of the act requires social media platforms to obtain verifiable parental consent before allowing anyone under 16 years old to create or manage an account.