Sen. Stern & Senate Judiciary Chair Agree to Pause Bill Forcing Social Media Companies to Notify Parents When Kids’ View Harmful Content

SACRAMENTO – On the heels of an agreement between State Senator Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles) and Senate Judiciary Chair Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) to delay the hearing of Senate Bill 845, the senators released the following statement:

“We are aligned on the importance and urgency of passing legislation to address the harms facing children on social media. Social media giants should be held accountable for exposing kids to harmful content while profiting from their data and attention.

While the Attorney General defends California against social media companies’ attempt to halt recent legislative progress with their lawsuit against AB 2273 (Wicks, 2022), we will continue working with all stakeholders, including our Congressional counterparts working to the same ends, to develop tools for parents who want to protect their children from being harmed online and to provide mechanisms to protect the data security and privacy rights of young people.