(TNND) \u2014 The California Assembly unanimously passed a bill Thursday that would ban kids under 16 from using social media platforms featuring “addictive features,” such as notifications, endless scroll and autoplay \u2013 all core parts of many popular apps.<\/p>\n
The bill<\/a>, introduced earlier this year by Long Beach Democratic Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal, now heads to the state Senate.<\/p>\n Lowenthal previously expressed confidence that the bill has the bipartisan support needed to become law, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has already voiced support <\/a>for social media age restrictions.<\/p>\n Lowenthal previously told The National News Desk<\/a> via his spokespeople that social media companies have \u201cunfettered access to vulnerable, developing minds\u201d and that they \u201chave adopted design choices that malignantly target users\u2019 neurological systems, leading to addiction, depression, and, in grave circumstances, death.\u201d<\/p>\n He said his bill addresses that \u201cevolving public health crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n When introducing the bill on the Assembly floor Thursday, Lowenthal said the average child in California spends five hours a day on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you count weekends and holidays, that means there are millions of children in the state of California that are spending more time on social media than they are in school,\u201d he told his fellow lawmakers before the vote.<\/p>\n The bill would require social media platforms featuring so-called addictive features to verify the age of their users and delete accounts for those under 16. Failure to do so could result in financial civil penalties.<\/p>\n The bill would also create an e-safety commission to oversee the implementation of the law and advise California on online safety moving forward.<\/p>\n \u201cThis bill is not about cutting off young people from the internet or denying them access to the community,\u201d Lowenthal said Thursday. \u201cYoung people deserve the ability to find support and belonging online. But we should reject the false choice that says children must be … exposed to addictive and harmful product designs in order to access those benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n Common Sense Media, which advocates for online protections for children and teens, applauded the bill<\/a> as support for parents going up against big tech firms and their \u201cbusiness model built on hooking our children.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cParents should not have to fight billion-dollar platforms on their own,\u201d Common Sense Media Founder and CEO Jim Steyer said in a statement.<\/p>\n A spokesman for Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, told TNND via email that social media bans remove parental choice altogether and push teens toward less safe, unregulated parts of the internet.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of cutting teens off from online communities and information, we support an approach that empowers parents to decide which apps their teens can download, building on the age verification law passed in California<\/a> last year,\u201d the Meta spokesperson said.<\/p>\n