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Proposed California bill would let parents block algorithmic social feeds for children

California will float a pair of bills designed to protect children from social media addiction and preserve their private data. SB 976 and AB 1949 were introduced Monday by the state’s Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Countless studies show that once a young person has a social media addiction, they experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem,” California Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) wrote in a press release. The bill’s language gives the state’s consumers the right to know what personal information social companies collect and sell and allows them to prevent the sale of their children’s data to third parties. “This bill is a crucial step in our work to close the gaps in our privacy laws that have allowed tech giants to exploit and monetize our kids’ sensitive data with impunity,” wrote Wicks (D-Oakland).

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