California, home to some of the world’s biggest technology companies, will become the first U.S. state to require mental health warning labels on social media sites if lawmakers pass a bill introduced Monday. The bill, sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta, is something that proponents say will strengthen the safety of children online, but industry officials say the measure and others like it are prohibited under the First Amendment. has vowed to fight against these measures. Bonta said the social media warning label comes after U.S. Army Surgeon General Vivek Murthy asked Congress to set requirements earlier this year, saying social media is contributing to the mental health crisis among young people. It quickly gained bipartisan support from dozens of attorneys general, including the “These companies know that their products can have a negative impact on children, and they must take meaningful steps to keep children safe,” Bonta said at a press conference Monday. “I refuse to do so,” he said. “Time’s up. State officials haven’t released details about the bill, but Bonta said the warning labels could be displayed once a week for up to 95% of youth ages 13 to 17. say they use social media platforms According to 2022 data from the Pew Research Center, more than one-third say they use social media “almost always.” Following parental concerns, Australia in November passed the world’s first law banning social media for children under 16. “The expectations of social media, while real, have turned children’s attention into a commodity,” the lawmaker said. Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, the author of the California bill, said Monday. “The attention economy exploits our children and their well-being so that California corporations can make money.”Rather than admonish the bill for labeling it “constitutionally unsound,” the lawmakers said: Todd Orr said the focus should be on online safety education and mental health resources. Boyle is vice president of the Chamber of Progress, a technology industry policy group. “I have strong doubts that courts will ignore these as forced speech,” O’Boyle told The Associated Press. Victoria Hincks’ 16-year-old daughter Alexandra died by suicide four months ago after being “led down a dark rabbit hole” on social media that glorified eating disorders and self-harm. Ms Hincks said the label would help protect children from companies that turn a blind eye to the harm they do to children’s mental health when they rely on social media platforms. Until we reach a final, irreversible decision,” Hincks said. “This could be your story.” The bill’s sponsor, Common Sense Media, said it plans to lobby for similar proposals in other states. Over the past decade, California has positioned itself as a leader in regulating and fighting to strengthen its high-tech industry. Online safety for children. For the first time in 2022, the state prohibited online platforms from using users’ personal information in ways that could harm children. The state was among the states that sued Meta in 2023 and TikTok in October, alleging they intentionally designed addictive features to keep children hooked on the platform. Democrat Gavin Newsom also signed several bills in September aimed at curbing the impact of social media on children. These include bills that would ban social media platforms from knowingly providing addictive feeds to children without parental consent and bills that would limit or ban students’ use of smartphones. . Federal lawmakers are holding hearings on children’s online safety, and legislation is being prepared that would force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm. The bill has the support of X owner Elon Musk and the president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr. Still, the last federal law aimed at protecting children online was enacted in 1998, six years before Facebook was founded.
California, home to some of the world’s biggest technology companies, will become the first U.S. state to require mental health warning labels on social media sites if lawmakers pass a bill introduced Monday.
Supporters say the bill, sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta, is necessary to strengthen the safety of children online, but industry officials say it violates the First Amendment. We are committed to fighting this bill and similar legislation based on this. Bonta said the social media warning label comes after U.S. Army Surgeon General Vivek Murthy asked Congress to set requirements earlier this year, saying social media is contributing to the mental health crisis among young people. It quickly gained bipartisan support from dozens of attorneys general, including the .
“These companies know that their products can have a negative impact on children, yet they don’t do anything meaningful to keep children safe,” Bonta said at a press conference Monday. They are refusing to take any action.” “Time is running out. Now is the time for us to intervene and demand change.”
State officials have not released details of the bill, but Bonta said warning labels could appear once a week.
to 95% of young people According to 2022 data from Pew Research Center, 13- to 17-year-olds say they use social media platforms, and more than one-third say they use social media “almost always.” I am. In November, following parental concerns, Australia passed the world’s first law banning social media for children under 16.
“The promise of social media, while real, has turned into a situation where children’s attention is turned into a commodity,” Rep. Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, the California bill’s author, said Monday. . “The attention economy is exploiting our children and their well-being to make money for California businesses.”
Todd O’Boyle, vice president of the Chamber of Progress, a tech industry policy group, said lawmakers should focus on online safety education and mental health resources instead of warning of “constitutionally unsound” labeling bills. He said that it should be placed.
“I have strong doubts that courts will ignore these statements as forced speech,” O’Boyle told The Associated Press.
Victoria Hincks’ 16-year-old daughter Alexandra took her own life four months ago after being “led down a dark rabbit hole” on social media that glorified eating disorders and self-harm. Hincks said the label would help protect children from companies that turn a blind eye to the negative effects on children’s mental health when they rely on social media platforms.
“There is no doubt in my mind that social media played a role in leading her to that final and irreversible decision,” Hinks said. “This could be your story.”
Common Sense Media, the bill’s sponsor, said it plans to lobby for similar proposals in other states.
Over the past decade, California has positioned itself as a leader in regulating and fighting the technology industry to make children safer online.
In 2022, the state for the first time banned online platforms from using users’ personal information in ways that could harm children. The state was among the states that sued Meta in 2023 and TikTok in October for intentionally designing addictive features to keep children hooked on the platform.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom also signed several bills in September aimed at curbing the impact of social media on children. These include bills that would prohibit social media platforms from knowingly providing addictive feeds to children without parental consent, as well as bills that would limit or ban access for students. Using smartphones at school.
Federal lawmakers are holding hearings on children’s online safety, and legislation is being prepared that would force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm. The bill has the support of X owner Elon Musk and the president-elect’s son. donald trump jr.. Still, the last federal law aimed at protecting children online was enacted in 1998, six years before Facebook was founded.
