Vicki Schmidt Unveils Plan to Protect Kansas Kids from Social Media

TOPEKA, Kan. — Today, Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, a Republican candidate for Governor, unveiled a major policy proposal to bar social media companies from creating or maintaining accounts for Kansas children under the age of 16, without their parents’ consent.

“As a pharmacist, a mother, and a grandmother of four, I have watched what these platforms are doing to our kids, and it is a slow-motion disaster,” said Vicki Schmidt. “This proposal will have a positive impact on the health of our people, the productivity of our students and the well-being of our communities.”

Schmidt’s proposal would:

• Prohibit social media platforms from knowingly allowing Kansans under the age of 16 to create or maintain accounts unless parental consent is provided.

• Require platforms to implement reasonable, privacy-protecting age verification.

• Mandate the deletion of existing underage accounts and any data associated with them.

“Communities across Kansas, including my own, have seen the devastating impact of social media when a young person takes their own life,” said Joe Newland. “It’s time to put parents back in charge.”

The proposal would not regulate user speech or restrict adults’ access to lawful platforms. The obligation falls squarely on the companies themselves, not on parents, teachers, or kids, to keep minors off their products until they are old enough to navigate them safely.

“Parents are fighting this battle alone, and they are losing,” Vicki Schmidt added. “It is time Kansas stood with them.”

Schmidt is the first candidate in the 2026 gubernatorial field to put forward a formal proposal on the issue.