(TNND) \u2014 Most American adults support a social media ban for kids under 16, a Pew Research Center survey shows.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, such a bill is steadily making its way through the California Legislature, perhaps establishing a blueprint for other states to follow or the motivation for social media companies to change their ways.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet’s not forget that the largest tech companies on the planet are located in California. This isn’t just about being the most populous state,\u201d said Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal, a Long Beach Democrat and the lead author of the California bill. \u201cThese are the engines that drive our economy. And if we have the courage to stand up to them and say we want you to be more successful, but we want you to be a lot safer for our children, we firmly believe that the rest of the states will \u2013 and the federal government will \u2013 be energized to follow suit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pew Research Center found<\/a> 56% of adults nationwide support a social media ban for kids under 16. Another 21% are opposed, and 23% are unsure.<\/p>\n But support for a ban is shared across demographics, including most age groups and both political parties. The survey found 59% of Republicans and 54% of Democrats support a ban.<\/p>\n Majorities also support parental consent, age verification and time limits.<\/p>\n The California bill<\/a> isn\u2019t a blanket ban. It\u2019s designed to target so-called addictive features that are part and parcel of social media apps, such as notifications, endless scroll and autoplay.<\/p>\n The bill would require social media platforms with such 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 about online safety moving forward.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don’t want to preclude children from digital life,\u201d Lowenthal said Monday. \u201cWe just need them to be in a nurturing environment. And today’s social media is not a nurturing environment. … Instagram, TikTok, they already have teen versions, but they still have the harmful features that are embedded in the teen versions today. And so, we absolutely believe that the platforms have the capacity of creating a much safer environment without any of these harmful, addictive features. And they should have every incentive to do so to keep children in their ecosystem, where regulators and parents alike can feel comfortable that their children are no longer in predatory environments.\u201d<\/p>\n The California bill passed the Assembly unanimously<\/a> in May and is on track for a floor vote in the state Senate next month.<\/p>\n Gov. Gavin Newsom has already voiced support<\/a> for social media age restrictions, and Lowenthal said he\u2019s confident the bill will become law in the Golden State.<\/p>\n Dan Schnur<\/a>, who teaches political communications at UC Berkeley and at the University of Southern California, said passage of a youth social media ban, of sorts, in his state could serve as an important milestone toward a national ban.<\/p>\n \u201cCalifornia tends to be a policy trendsetter on many other matters, with at least with blue states,\u201d Schnur said. \u201cBut the fact that there’s not a partisan divide on this issue increases the likelihood that members of both parties support a ban when the vote comes.\u201d<\/p>\n Schnur pointed out that the Pew Research Center found the strongest support for a youth social media ban among the folks who are currently raising children. Nearly two-thirds of parents with a child under 18 support a ban.<\/p>\n \u201cThe poll doesn’t just show strong support for a ban, but the most invested voters in the issue support it the most strongly,\u201d he said. \u201cThat suggests a very motivated base of support.\u201d<\/p>\n Peter Loge<\/a>, the director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, said he\u2019s skeptical that Congress will get on board with a national ban on kids using social media.<\/p>\n A ban, Loge said, \u201chas an immediate gut appeal\u201d to folks answering a survey.<\/p>\n \u201cBut then when you start raising the other side of it, or it actually has to get debated in a legislative body, things get more complicated,\u201d Loge said. \u201cWhen things get more complicated, they slow down and tend to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n But Loge said the weight of new restrictions in California might force social media companies to simply adjust their behavior to preserve access to an important market. And that might make the California law the de facto standard for the rest of the country.<\/p>\n California isn\u2019t the only state to pass laws intended to protect kids online.<\/p>\n Florida passed a youth social media ban<\/a> a couple of years ago.<\/p>\n Other states, like Texas<\/a>, have tackled age verification through app stores. And New York lawmakers<\/a> targeted risky features in artificial intelligence chatbots.<\/p>\n Australia, meanwhile, implemented the first-ever nationwide social media ban<\/a> for kids under 16.<\/p>\n The United Kingdom<\/a>, France<\/a> and Spain<\/a> are among the countries pursuing their own national restrictions on youth social media use.<\/p>\n Lowenthal said the world has \u201creached a tipping point\u201d over youth online safety, but he said Congress has been \u201ccompletely derelict in its duty of protecting children.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s why California and other states are stepping up, he said.<\/p>\n