--- title: A California bill would let parents sue predatory social media companies - The Hustle description: A California bill would let parents sue social media companies who fail to protect children from addiction. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/2122651626-News-Brief_2022-03-24T000155.297Z.webp --- # A California bill would let parents sue predatory social media companies ![Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/juliet-bennett-rylah) [Juliet Bennett Rylah Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/JBRylah) Published: March 24, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 Some people might think it’s a parent’s job to limit screen time, but what if companies are doing everything they can to keep kids scrolling? ![A California bill would let parents sue predatory social media companies](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/2122651626-News-Brief_2022-03-24T000155.297Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=2122651626-News-Brief_2022-03-24T000155.297Z.webp) The [Social Media Platform Duty to Children Act](https://www.sandiego.edu/cai/documents/FAQ%20AB2408%20FINAL%203.16.22.pdf) is a California bill that would allow parents and guardians to sue social media companies that fail to prevent addiction in children. The bill would only apply to companies that earn $100m+ in annual revenue and excludes things like search engines, streaming services, email providers, and comment sections. But it mentions Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok by name. #### **Penalties for violators include:** - A civil penalty of up to $25k per child user - Damages of $1k+ per child in a class-action suit Companies can avoid liability by regularly auditing features and removing those determined to cause harm. #### **How social media hooks kids** The more time we spend on social media, the more those companies profit — thus, incentivizing them to keep us engaged. Some tactics, however, are [known](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6679162/) to be addictive: - Endless scroll - Social rewards, like “Likes” - Collecting data so that algorithms can feed users targeted content This can lead to significant harm in some users. Documents [leaked](https://www.npr.org/2021/10/05/1043377310/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-congress) by the Facebook whistleblower included studies that found Instagram worsened eating disorders and self-esteem issues in teen girls. *The Wall Street Journal *investigated TikTok algorithms’ negative [impact](https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-tiktok-inundates-teens-with-eating-disorder-videos-11639754848) on eating disorders. #### **Would this bill work?** The bill suggests the best way to get companies to stop causing harm is to make “harmful things risky or unprofitable.” But one expert [told](https://time.com/6158294/california-social-media-platform-duty-children-act/) *Time* the law is “too vague to be… actionable,” and thinks it’d be best to prevent data collection in the 1st place. To that end, there are other bills in the pipeline: - A Minnesota [bill](https://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/bs/92/HF3724.pdf) would prohibit social media from using algorithms to target content to anyone under 18. - California’s [Age-Appropriate Design Code Act](https://www.dataguidance.com/news/california-bill-age-appropriate-design-code-introduced) lists several protections for children, including restricting data collection. - At the federal level, the [Kids Online Safety Act](https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/kids_online_safety_act_-_bill_text.pdf) would limit data collection, addictive features, and allow users to opt out of algorithm-based recommendations. **BTW:** The Addiction Center has [some tips](https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction) for identifying social media addiction, as well as preventing or curbing it. 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