Millions of Americans set to be completely banned from social media by this summer under rapidly moving plan
MILLIONS of Americans are preparing to be locked out of their favorite social media platforms as state officials push for a mass ban.
Stricter regulations could be in place as soon as this summer, as new social media legislation quickly makes its way through key votes.
The controversial plan would aim to ban children under 16 in California from using social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, etc.
Under California Assembly Bill 1709, a bipartisan effort, children would be legally prohibited from having accounts on platforms with “addictive features,” according to the bill’s text.
Features include auto-play videos, infinite scrolling, algorithmic content recommendation, and push notifications.
If passed, AB1709 would require social media companies to verify the age of users and remove accounts belonging to children under 16.
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Companies that do not comply would be subject to sanctions, but these have not yet been specified in the final text of the bill at the time of writing.
Although AB1709 is still in the Legislature, it was passed by both the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee and the Assembly Judiciary Committee within less than a week of each other.
The bill is also on track to be voted on in the full House next month and has received support from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Democratic Rep. Josh Lowenthal, who introduced the bill, believes bipartisan support for the bill will allow it to be signed into law by summer.
Lowenthal argued that social media companies have “unlimited access to vulnerable and developing minds,” according to the New York Post.
He added that they made “design choices that malignantly target users’ neurological systems, leading to addiction, depression and, in severe circumstances, death.”
Opponents argue that the bill is an example of government overreach and “substitutes a heavy-handed government mandate for protections that families actually need,” according to Jamie Huff, director of the Civil Justice Association of California.
“Protecting children online is important, but banning minors from large parts of the internet is now the solution,” she added.
Most teens are on TikTok and YouTube daily, with as many as 16% admitting they are online “almost constantly,” according to Pew Research Center surveys.
Several other states are considering similar bans, including Massachusetts.
Massachusetts differs in that it will only completely ban social media access to children under 14, while those aged 14 and 15 will be able to use the apps with their parents’ consent.
Democratic state Reps. Aaron Michlewitz and Ron Mariano both defended the bill in a joint statement, citing similar reasons as California lawmakers.
“This ban would protect young people from harmful content and addictive algorithms that have a proven negative impact on their mental health,” the press release reads.
President Donald Trump has expressed interest in seeing a similar measure implemented nationally, according to his daughter-in-law Lara Trump.
Even if she remains “very interested”, she clarified that she “[doesn’t] I know exactly where he’s at,” she said on a February episode of Pod Force One.
“I think it’s something he’s interested in, because… one of the things that’s always going to occupy us is going to be social media, screens, that sort of thing,” she added.
