SACRAMENTO – In a bipartisan vote, the California State Senate approved a bill from a Bay Area lawmaker aimed at targeting social media addiction among children and teens. On Monday night, senators approved Senate Bill 976 by State Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) on a 35-2 vote.
The bill now goes onto the Assembly for consideration. "Studies show that once a young person has a social media addiction, they experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. But social media companies have been unwilling to voluntarily change their practices," Skinner said in a statement .
"With SB 976, the state Senate has sent a clear message: When social media companies won't act, it's our responsibility to protect our children." Skinner's office cited figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that noted children spend six to 14 hours per day in front of a screen, much of it on social media. A review published in the Journal of Behavioral Sciences linked social media addition among youth to negative health effects, including higher rates of depression, anxiety, lack of sleep and low self-esteem.
Under the bill, which is also known as the "Protecting our Kids From Social Media Addiction Act," platforms would be prohibited from sending an "addictive" social media feed to a minor without consent from a parent or guardian. Social media apps would also be prohibited from sending notifications to minors between 8 a.m.
and 3 p.m. during the school year (defined .