California has approved a new policy that will allow under-18s (minors) to request websites to delete their personal information including web posts and photos on websites, online services, and online or mobile apps.
Authored by State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), the new bill was approved by California Governor Jerry Brown.
Scheduled to come into effect in 2015, the new law is only applicable for content, including photos, generated by the user.
However, firms may not have to delete the posted content, or reposted, by others, nor they have to remove the data from their servers.
After the new comes into effect it would also prohibit advertising certain specified dangerous or age-inappropriate products and services to minors by notifying them that ‘the user is a minor’.
According to Common Sense Media, which is a charitable trust that encourages children’s digital privacy, chief executive James Steyer said that about three out of four teenagers have a profile on Facebook or Twitter.
"These sites offer many benefits for connecting, communicating, and learning, yet children and teens often self-reveal before they self-reflect and may post sensitive personal information about themselves — and about others — without realising the consequences."
A new survey from Pew revealed that about 59% of US teens with a social-media profile had removed or edited they had posted, and about 19% posted comments, photos or updates, which they later regretted sharing.
