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SB 976. Starting in 2027, California will make it illegal for social media platforms to provide addictive content feeds to children without parental consent. This new law aims to protect minors from harmful online practices deliberately designed by social media companies to increase engagement. Following similar regulations in New York and Utah, the law will restrict platforms from sending notifications to minors during specific hours and mandates that children's accounts are set to private by default. The law will also ban platforms from using features specifically intended to create addictive behaviours in children, such as algorithm-driven content recommendations. Critics of the law argue it could unintentionally limit adult access to content and compromise online privacy by requiring platforms to collect more user information to verify ages. Despite these concerns, the law is a move in the right direction in addressing the growing impact of social media on children's mental health and well-being. ..:: Follow Purpose and Means for daily updates about privacy & emerging technology issues ::.. #CaliforniaPrivacy #SB976 #DigitalAddiction https://lnkd.in/dAj7bs-R

Intrigued to hear your thoughts on this - New York is taking a bold step to protect kids from the mental health risks of social media with new laws targeting "addictive" feeds. Starting in 2025, the SAFE for Kids Act will require apps like TikTok and Instagram to get parental consent before under-18s use them, restrict notifications between midnight and 6 am, and improve age verification. Additionally, the New York Child Data Protection Act will limit the personal data collected from young users. Governor Kathy Hochul believes these measures will create a safer digital environment, but experts are divided on their effectiveness and enforceability. While some applaud the move, others argue that the link between social media and mental health is more complex than it appears. I worry that such legislation might be difficult to enforce and could distract from addressing more pressing issues like privacy violations and harmful content. #SocialMedia #MentalHealth #SAFEAct #DigitalSafety

“There’s not a single parent who isn’t concerned about what their children are seeing. Part of the review that we’re doing of the Online Safety Act is to make sure that the regulator has the necessary tools. At the same time, we’re looking at other issues, the harms to children, including by having recommender systems that push content like misogynistic rubbish and eating disorder videos. “Of course, there is a litany of new and emerging harms, ranging from artificial intelligence, deep fakes, sextortion, child sexual exploitation material, and scams. As a government, we have a program of work across all of these areas.” But it could do more. One key measure on the table is age verification, which means taking steps to ensure that internet users are who they claim to be, and that they meet the minimum age range to comply with laws and regulations. 👇🏻 See more here 👇🏻

"New York just passed a law on "addictive" social media feeds for children, but some researchers are questioning what that actually means. New York Governor Kathy Hochul was clear about her opinion of social media earlier this month, speaking at a press conference to announce the signing of two new state laws designed to protect under-18-year-olds from the dangers the online world. The apps are responsible for transforming "happy-go-lucky kids into teenagers who are depressed", she said, but according to Hochul, the legislation she signed off on would help. "Today, we save our children," Hochul said. "Young people across the nation are facing a mental health crisis fuelled by addictive social media feeds." Starting in 2025, these new laws could force apps including TikTok and Instagram to send some children back to the earliest days of social media, before content was tailored by users' "likes" and tech giants collected data about our interests, moods, habits and more. The Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act requires social media platforms and app stores seek parental consent before children under 18 use apps with "addictive feeds", a groundbreaking attempt to regulate algorithmic recommendations. The SAFE Act will even prevent apps from sending notifications to child or teenage users between midnight and 6am – practically a legal bedtime for devices – and require better age verification to avoid children slipping through undetected. The second law, the New York Child Data Protection Act, limits the information app providers collect about their users. "By reining in addictive feeds and shielding kids' personal data, we'll provide a safer digital environment, give parents more peace of mind, and create a brighter future for young people across New York," Hochul explained."

📰 Breaking News: Today, the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act passed the Senate with an overwhelming 91-3 vote. This is a tremendous moment for the health and safety of children online. The two bills in the package — known as the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, and the Children’s and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA 2.0 — represent the most significant congressional action in decades to regulate social media’s impact on children and teens largely due to Kristin Bride and Amy Neville's advocacy amongst many other parents and youth orgs like #HALFTHESTORY and Design It For Us. The lopsided vote saw Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and GOP Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah, as the only no votes. This landmark legislation creates the most robust federal protections for kids online the United States has ever seen. It's been nearly 30 years since we last passed major legislation protecting our children. Kudos to all who have worked tirelessly to make this a reality. Together, we are making the digital world a safer place for our children. CHANGE IS HAPPENING! #ChildSafety #DigitalWellbeing #KidsOnlineSafety #PrivacyProtection https://lnkd.in/gfP4fnN8

Last month, New York introduced new social media laws. The laws are designed to... • Protect Children from Addictive Features: Require parental permission for children under 18 to use apps with features deemed "addictive". • Limit Data Collection: Restrict the amount of personal data social media apps can collect from children. • Reduce Nighttime Use: Prevent apps from sending notifications to children between midnight and 6 am. • Enhance Age Verification: Ensure better methods for verifying the age of users to prevent underage children from accessing platforms. The laws have received mixed reactions - some worry about enforcement and question whether social media is really the main issue affecting children's mental health. What do you think? #SocialMedia #ChildSafety #Legislation #TechRegulation

Ensuring the Safety of Our Children Online: A Crucial Legislative Step I'm encouraged to see the recent progress in the U.S. Senate with the overwhelming approval of the Child Online Safety Bill, passing with a 91-3 vote. This legislation, originating in the United States, is a vital step towards protecting our young users from the risks they face in the digital world. Key Provisions: Duty of Care: Companies must take reasonable steps to prevent harm on platforms frequently used by minors, ensuring default settings are the safest possible. Age Verification and Privacy: Strengthening age verification, limiting data collection, and banning targeted ads to minors. Content Moderation: Mitigating exposure to harmful content, including cyberbullying, violence, suicide promotion, eating disorders, and substance abuse. Mental Health Resources: Providing support for children exposed to distressing content. Parental Controls and User Protections: Options to protect minors' information, disable addictive features, and limit interactions with other users. With the bill now moving to the House of Representatives, it is crucial that we continue to support its progress. Ensuring the safety and well-being of our children online is not just an option but a necessity. This legislation represents a significant step towards creating a safer and more supportive digital environment for the next generation. This information comes from a recent article in the Associated Press. #ChildSafety #OnlineSafety #DigitalWellbeing #Legislation #PrivacyProtection Read more here

We're grappling with a troubling trend in #Greece: a surge in school violence fueled by children sharing bullying videos online. 🏫 This has been on my mind as I follow recent news from Australia, where lawmakers have banned anyone under 16 from using major social media platforms. 🚧 This regulation is a bold step toward protecting young users from harmful content, mental health issues, and exploitation. But community stakeholders and tech giants alike have raised concerns: 🔍 Ensuring compliance across platforms may be difficult, particularly with the global nature of social media. ⚠ Younger users might migrate to less-regulated platforms, potentially increasing their exposure to harm. 🛠️ The law overlooks existing safety measures and lacks sufficient consultation with industry experts. Still, I believe Australia's move is a step in the right direction. Social media regulation for minors is vital, and we need stronger accountability mechanisms. As more countries consider measures like this, the challenge lies in striking the right balance—protecting children while respecting their privacy and digital participation rights. 🚸 How can we safeguard young users from the darker sides of social media? Share your thoughts in the comments! #SocialMediaRegulation #ChildSafety #DigitalWellbeing #OnlineSafety #Accountability    

To ensure #DigitalSafety, legislative safeguards like California's recent Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act are important, but not sufficient on their own. In her latest piece in Tech Policy Press (https://lnkd.in/gW5xk39T), our colleague Wafa Ben-Hassine outlined the multifaceted and nuanced approach necessary to address online harm and preserve civil liberties 👇 ✔️ We need buy-in and collaboration from tech companies, policymakers, and civil society to develop comprehensive solutions. ✔️ We must enhance platforms’ responsiveness to public agencies and researchers working in the public interest and ensure platforms are transparent about their operations and harm mitigation efforts. ✔️ We must center the most vulnerable people, such as children and new immigrants, in our response in collaboration with civil society organizations, health professionals, and social workers. "Coordination is no longer a “nice to have”—it is essential." As we become more reliant on these platforms, the threats they pose must be directly addressed for us to realize a future where everyone is safe online.

Reporting about efforts (and failures) to #ProtectKidsOnline are splashed across the The New York Times home page today. One article highlights findings from a reporter's review of several thousand pages of legal filings in a dozen lawsuits filed since last year by the attorneys general of 45 states and the District of Columbia. Another report from Cecilia Kang tells the stories of parents who lost their children to social media harms and are now lobbying for the Kids Online Safety Act - "a bill that would require social media, gaming and messaging apps to limit features that could heighten depression or bullying or lead to sexual exploitation (and) has the greatest momentum of any broad tech industry legislation in years." I encourage you to read these stories one after another - together, they well illuminate this current moment in the movement to #ProtectKidsOnline. A quote in Natasha Singer's reporting attributed to a tech executive espeically encapsulates why the legislation like the #EARNITAct is so desperately needed. In a 2021 email to his company's CEO, the executive wrote: "We need to do more and we are being held back by a lack of investment on the product side which means that we’re not able to make changes and innovations at the pace required to be responsive to policymaker concerns." The status quo is unacceptable. #Congress must act to incentivize the U.S. technology sector to scale up their efforts to detect, report & disrupt the production & distribution of child sexual abuse material (#CSAM) on their platforms. Leader Schumer must honor his September 2023 commitment to his colleagues that “advancing kids and teens online safety and privacy” was among the “critical issues” where “an opportunity to advance legislation” exists for the 118th Congress. Legislation like EARN IT and #KOSA that has long ago passed through committee deserve a vote on the Senate floor. Vulnerable kids around the world can't wait any longer.