A newly introduced California bill would, if passed, prohibit social media sites from promoting content that can lead minors to purchase fentanyl or firearms—including ghost guns—commit suicide, develop an eating disorder, inflict harm on themselves or others, or develop an addiction to the platform.
“SB 287 will help curb dangerous content by strengthening the legal rights that Californians have to stop social media from targeting users with harmful information via specialized algorithms, especially to our kids,” she said.
The bill would require social media companies that make more than $100 million in gross revenue per year to undergo quarterly audits of their features, designs, and algorithms that have the potential to cause or contribute to such harm.
The audits would be conducted by the companies in “good faith,” according to the bill’s text.
Any that knowingly, or “by exercise of reasonable care should have known,” violates the law could face up to a $250,000 fine per violation, among other penalties.
A company would have 30 days to correct any violations to avoid being penalized.
The bill is supported by the Children’s Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego School of Law—a research organization promoting youth’s rights and interests in the United States—and Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that provides information on the responsible use of technology for children.
“We thank Senator Skinner for introducing this vital bill to protect California’s children from serious online harms,” James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, said in a Feb. 2 statement. “This is one of the most important tech policy bills that will come before the Legislature this year.”
