California is taking a stand against the potential mental health risks associated with social media usage, particularly among the younger demographic. That stand is in Assembly Bill 56 (AB 56), a proposed legislation introduced by Attorney General Rob Bonta and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan. According to a statement by the Office of the Attorney General, this bill aims to implement mandatory warning labels on social media platforms, informing users about the possible mental health implications for kids and teens who engage with these platforms extensively.
"Social media companies have demonstrated an unwillingness to tackle the mental health crisis, instead digging in deeper into harnessing addictive features and harmful content for the sake of profits,” Bonta said, underscoring the importance of informed consumer choice. Simultaneously, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan emphasizes the toll on children's mental health due to manipulative engagement strategies engineered by these platforms. “This bill shines a light on those harms and ensures that families are equipped with critical information to make informed choices," Bauer-Kahan told the Office of the Attorney General.
Experts like Dr. Jason Nagata, an adolescent mental health specialist, point to the displacement of healthful activities like sleep and exercise by the siren call of social media. Dr. Nagata’s remarks to the Office of the Attorney General draw attention to the educational promise of social media and its potential to lead children down the rabbit hole of health misinformation and psychologically damaging content. Endorsement for the proposed measures also comes from outside the legislative sphere, with Common Sense Media's James P. Steyer championing the bill, likening the need for social media regulation to past public health initiatives such as seat belts and alcohol warning labels.
This bill's introduction is not an isolated endeavor but part of a broader push by Bonta's office to address online child safety. Earlier this year, Bonta led a bipartisan group of attorneys supporting a proposed surgeon general’s warning on social media platforms. California has been on offense against the big names of the social media world, with past legal actions against TikTok and Meta over allegations of practices detrimental to young users. The bill suggests that these warning labels should meet users at the virtual door of social media platforms, displayed conspicuously upon a user's first engagement with the platform, and then weekly, lingering on-screen for a minimum of 90 seconds to ensure prominent visibility.
