California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Friday that could revolutionize how children in the state use social media. Among the potential changes: A requirement that could effectively reshape what minors now know as TikTok’s “For You Page.”
OpenAI supports California’s AI watermarking bill
The bill, SB976, would take effect in 2027 in the state, home to many tech giants. There are two main components. One: It would prohibit social media platforms from providing “addictive feeds” (defined as feeds based on information provided or collected by users) to minors with parental consent. Second: It would ban social media platforms from sending notifications to minors (without parental approval) between 12am and 6am and 8am and 3pm on weekdays during the school year.
In short: minors’ feeds must be in chronological order of the people they follow. What this effectively means is that there will no longer be a “For You Page” on TikTok or other such algorithm-based recommendation feeds.
Popular stories that can be mixed and matched
“Every parent knows the toll social media addiction can take on a child — the isolation, stress and anxiety from human contact, the endless wasting of time late at night,” Newsom said in a statement released by The Associated Press. “With this bill, California is helping to protect children and teens from features that are intentionally designed to encourage these destructive habits. “
It should be noted that the law stipulates that the above-mentioned actions against minors are illegal “unless the operator does not actually know that the user is a minor.” This appears to leave some room for minors to circumvent potential regulations. However, the bill’s authors note that the state’s attorney general will have until 2027 to implement age verification and parental consent regulations, although it’s unclear what those regulations will look like.
Of course, now that TikTok is embroiled in a legal battle with the U.S. government, there’s a chance it won’t even be available in the U.S. by 2027. .
this Los Angeles Times According to the report, the bill has “an unusual group of opponents,” including the American Civil Liberties Union of California, Equality California, and associations representing technology giants such as TikTok and Meta. While the law will have a huge impact on how kids use social media, it seems reasonable that there will be a legal battle between now and 2027.
