SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California, home to some of the largest technology companies in the world, would be the first U.S. state to require mental health warning labels on social media sites if lawmakers pass a bill introduced Monday.
The legislation sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta is necessary to bolster safety for children online, supporters say, but industry officials vow to fight the measure and others like it under the First Amendment. Warning labels for social media gained swift bipartisan support from dozens of attorneys general, including Bonta, after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to establish the requirements earlier this year, saying social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people.
"These companies know the harmful impact their products can have on our children, and they refuse to take meaningful steps to make them safer," Bonta said at a news conference Monday. "Time is up. It's time we stepped in and demanded change."
State officials haven't provided details on the bill, but Bonta said the warning labels could pop up once weekly.
"The promise of social media, although real, has turned into a situation where they're turning our children's attention into a commodity," Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who authored the California bill, said Monday. "The attention economy is using our children and their well-being to make money for these California companies."
Lawmakers instead should focus on online safety education and mental health resources, not warning label bills that are "constitutionally unsound," said Todd O'Boyle, a vice president of the tech industry policy group Chamber of Progress.
"We strongly suspect that the courts will set them aside as compelled speech," O'Boyle told The Associated Press.
Victoria Hinks' 16-year-old daughter, Alexandra, died by suicide four months ago after being "led down dark rabbit holes" on social media that glamorized eating disorders and self-harm. Hinks said the labels would help protect children from companies that turn a blind eye to the harm caused to children's mental health when they become addicted to social media platforms.
"There's not a bone in my body that doubts social media played a role in leading her to that final irreversible decision," Hinks said. "This could be your story."
Common Sense Media, a sponsor of the bill, said it plans to lobby for similar proposals in other states.
California in the past decade has positioned itself as a leader in regulating and fighting the tech industry to bolster online safety for children.
- The state was first in 2022 to bar online platforms from using users' personal information in ways that could harm children.
- It was one of several states suing Meta and TikTok for deliberately designing addictive features keeping kids hooked on their platforms.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills curbing effects of social media on children including prohibiting platforms from providing addictive feeds without parental consent and limiting smartphone use at schools.