In the News: New CA Law to Curb Addictive Feeds
October 17, 2024
California Governor Newsom recently signed the Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act, aimed at curbing youth social media use. Under this bill, California intends to protect youth by limiting features that encourage harmful habits around social media. Will this new bill improve youth mental health and make social media safer? Here’s what our team has to say…
What you need to know:
Governor Newsom signed a new bill that prohibits platforms from providing an “addictive feed” to California minors without parental consent.
It also bans social media platforms from sending notifications in the late night (12am-6am) and during school hours (8am-3pm) on weekdays.
The regulations are set to go into effect on January 1, 2027.
Our gut reactions:
It’s a good thing to limit constant notifications but seems better to have it be optional with the choice to still get some because that is a lot of hours per day without notification access, some of which might be important.
Limiting notifications doesn’t make social media safer.
Things still need to happen to make the apps safer rather than just restricting certain features. They need more robust safety measures and media literacy.
We think it’s headed in the…
Right direction
Wrong direction
Too soon to tell...Intent is good but not sure about it in application.
What to look out for:
How will it distinguish ‘addictive feeds’ from algorithms in general? Which online services does it apply to? Does it include texts?
Reducing youth autonomy that much, even for college students who are minors, is that a good idea?
How will this support the need for notifications in emergencies?
We want to hear from you!
Do you think this new bill will improve youth mental health and make social media safer? Comment on our Instagram post.