The U.S. state of California has enacted a law to protect minors from the addictive nature of social media.
According to the Associated Press on the 20th (local time), California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill that made it illegal for SNS to intentionally provide addictive content to minors without parental consent.
The law, which will take effect in 2027, prohibits SNS from sending notifications to minors without parental consent from 0 a.m. to 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the semester from September to May of the following year.
In addition, it also includes making SNS default settings private for underage accounts.
“Every parent is aware of the harm that SNS addiction can cause,” Governor Newsom said in a statement, stressing that “with this legislation, California is helping protect children and adolescents from elements deliberately designed to develop disruptive habits.”
Recently, there has been a legislative movement in the United States to block the negative impact of SNS on minors.
Earlier, the New York State Legislature passed a bill that would allow parents to block their children from receiving content recommended by SNS algorithms.
Utah has also passed several bills in recent years that restrict minors’ access to social media.
JENNIFER KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
