Photo by Ravi Sharma on Unsplash

There is rising concern over the impacts of social media on children and teenagers. Lawmakers in California recently proposed a Bill to target Social Media companies and their role in negatively impacting the mental health of children and teenagers. Bill 2408 the Social Media Platform Duty to Children Act was created to help protect these vulnerable groups.

Currently in the United States, Social Media companies cannot legally be held responsible for the content that is posted on their sites. Bill 2408 is looking to circumvent these legalities by targeting the algorithms these companies use instead of the content that is posted on them. If passed, Social Media companies will not be allowed to use addictive app design when creating apps geared towards children. Additionally, companies that violate this law could be eligible to be sued by parents of children harmed by them. This Bill seems like a step in a positive direction in terms of creating a safe environment for children and teenagers online.

I am interested to see what your thoughts are on how this is going to play out especially when a formal diagnosis of social media addiction does not exist currently?

Do you think Canada needs to create stronger laws towards how Social Media companies make products for children and teenagers?

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