Social Media Companies Under Scrutiny
Social media companies have come under fire for their role in exacerbating negative mental health effects on children. In response, California lawmakers have proposed a new bill, the Protecting Kids from Social Media Addiction Act, which aims to address these concerns. The bill, announced by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, would require social media companies to disable their algorithms by default for users under 18, among other mandated changes.
Key Provisions of the Act
The Protecting Kids from Social Media Addiction Act includes several important provisions. One of the main changes would be making a chronological feed the default setting on social media platforms. This means that users would see posts from the people they follow in the order they were uploaded, rather than a manipulated algorithmic feed designed to maximize engagement. Additionally, the default settings on social media apps would mute notifications between midnight and 6 a.m., limit daily usage to one hour, and remove the visibility of “like” counts. However, parents and users would have the option to modify these settings.
Support for the Bill
Lawmakers believe that changing default settings on social media platforms can have significant benefits for children. Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, who introduced a separate bill to tighten privacy protections for minors, emphasizes the power of default settings in influencing user behavior. The proposed changes aim to show young users the content they want to see, without the addictive algorithms that currently dominate their feeds.
California’s Efforts to Regulate Social Media Companies
The introduction of these bills is part of California’s ongoing efforts to regulate social media companies. In recent years, the state has taken several legislative and regulatory actions to change how these companies operate. In October, California’s Attorney General, Rob Bonta, filed a lawsuit against Meta (formerly Facebook), alleging that the company designed its apps to addict young users while downplaying the harmful effects. This follows a $93-million settlement won by Bonta’s office in a case against Google, which exposed deceptive practices regarding user data collection. However, previous attempts to regulate social media companies have faced legal challenges.
Social Media’s Impact on Children
Lawmakers rely on research from the U.S. surgeon general to support their efforts. The research reveals that adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes. Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say that social media negatively affects their body image, and a majority encounter hate-based content regularly. The new bill aims to prevent these harms and prioritize children’s well-being over profit.
