Calfiornia Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bill to restrict social media use among children

Sept. 21 (UPI) -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation designed to reduce social media use among minors.

On Friday, Newsome signed The Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act , which prohibits online platforms from knowingly providing an addictive feed to children under 18 without parental consent.

The bill defines an "addictive feed" as "an internet website, online service, online application or mobile application in which multiple pieces of media generated or shared by users are recommended, selected, or prioritized for display to a user based on information provided by the user, or otherwise associated with the user or the user's device, as specified, unless any of certain conditions are met."

Also, the bill prohibits social media platforms, including Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, from sending notifications to minors during school hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and midnight to 5 a.m. from September through May unless the user has parental consent.

"Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children - isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a news release, said. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits."

The legislation was sponsored by State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley.

Neswsom's wife said: "As a mother, I'm proud of California's continued leadership in holding technology companies accountable for their products and ensuring those products are not harmful to children."

The bill also requires social media companies to offer minors chronological feeds instead of algorithmic feeds as a positive feature.

James P. Steyer, the CEO of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, praised this aspect.

"That means that kids will see more content that they choose to see - from their friends or others that they signed up to see - rather than what Meta and other large companies want kids to see because they make so much money off of keeping them hooked online. This bill is good for kids' mental and physical health," Steyer said in a press release .

Legislation signed in 2022 "prohibits the business from using the personal information of any child in a way that the business knows, or has reason to know, is materially detrimental to the physical health, mental health, or well-being of a child."

The state continues to defend the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act in a lawsuit challenging the first-in-the-nation law.

Critics, in legal challenges, say the "materially detrimental" language is too vague and fear violations of the First Amendment.

Amy Bos, NetChoice's director of state and federal affairs, wrote in a letter to Newsom this month that platforms' ability to engage in editorial discretion, which is "at the core of the First Amendment's protection" is denied.

"SB 976 prohibits websites from using 'addictive feeds' to disseminate content to their users. But these 'addictive feeds' are the result of content being 'selected' and 'prioritized' to the users. In short, restricting how websites disseminate information directly interferes with their ability to engage in editorial discretion," Bos wrote.

The legislation takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.

Until then, the attorney general can create rules how a social media company would be penalized and the specifics of parental consent for age verification.

Other states have enacted social media regulations involving use among children.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill in March banning children under age 14 from having their own social media accounts. Also, parents decide whether 14- and 15-year-olds can have a social media account."

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed two bills in June restricting digital platforms' algorithms and use of children's data. Social media platforms will be required to display content chronologically by default for kids under 18. And websites would be banned from collecting or sharing the personal data of users under 18 without consent.

Federal privacy protections are for children under 13.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case next term involving Texas' age-verification requirements for sexually explicit websites.

Instagram announced this month new "teen account" settings that will automatically make millions of teen accounts private and restrict certain content all users under the age of 18 can view on the app.

They also will receive time limit reminders after spending one hour on the app each day, and the app will default to "sleep mode between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.