California will launch a pair of bills aimed at protecting children from social media addiction and keeping their data private. The Protecting Youth from Social Media Addiction Act (SB 976) and the California Children's Privacy Act (AB 1949) were introduced Monday by state Attorney General Rob Bonta, state Sen. Nancy Skinner and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks. The proposed legislation follows a California Child Safety Bill which was to come into force this year, but it is now on hold.
SB 976 could give parents the power to remove addictive algorithmic feeds from their children's social media. If passed, it would allow parents of children under 18 to choose between the default algorithmic feed – typically designed to create profitable addictions – and a less addictive chronology. It would also allow parents to block all social media notifications and prevent their children from accessing social platforms at night and during school hours.
“Social media companies designed their platforms for addicted users, especially our children. Countless studies show that once a young person is addicted to social media, they experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem,” wrote California Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley). ) in a press release. “We have waited long enough for social media companies to act. SB 976 is needed now to establish common-sense safeguards so parents can protect their children from these preventable harms.
At the same time, AB 1949 would attempt to strengthen data privacy for children under 18 in California. The bill's text gives consumers in the state the right to know what personal information social enterprises collect and sell and allows them to prevent the sale of their children's data to third parties. Any exceptions would require “informed consent,” which must come from a parent for children under 13.
Additionally, AB 1949 would fill gaps in the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) which fail to effectively protect the data of 17-year-olds. The CCPA reserves its most robust protections for those under 16 years old.
“This bill is a crucial step in our work to close the loopholes in our privacy laws that have allowed tech giants to exploit and monetize our children's sensitive data with impunity,” wrote Wicks (Oakland Democrat).
Invoices can be scheduled to coincide with a US Senate hearing (with five Big Tech CEOs in tow) Wednesday on children's online safety. Additionally, California is part of a coalition of 41 states that continued Meta in October to harm the mental health of children. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2021, internal documents from Meta (Facebook at the time) described “tweens” as “a valuable but untapped audience”.