The State of California is preparing to pass the very first law in the world aimed at making social networks responsible in the event of addiction among minors. An unprecedented law that could change everything. And not just in California.
Meta(Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, and Snapchat are lobbying the State of California to stop the country's first bill from allowing legal action if features can harm minors.
The move would allow the state attorney general (the statewide equivalent of the attorney general) and local and municipal district attorneys to prosecute social media. To justify these lawsuits, the authorities will have to believe that the companies provide features that they knew or should have known would be addictive for minors.
Addiction is defined as follows: it is a use of social networks that is difficult to restrict despite the desire to do so. It can cause physical, mental, emotional, or material harm.
The first version of the text has already been adopted by 51 votes against 0 by the State Assembly. It provides that parents of minors can directly sue companies such as Meta (Facebook, Instagram) or ByteDance (TikTok). If the judges agree with them, then they can receive compensation of at least $1,000 per plaintiff in class action suits.
Before the new text is validated, it must first pass through the hands of the senators, then after their vote, be signed by the governor of California Gavin Newsom.
Why is this law so important?
One might think that this local law will not have international influence. Mistake. Since it relates to app functionality, this new legislation will require companies not to deploy apps to California users. In fact, it seems unlikely that Meta or ByteDance will make a distinction when changing their platforms. It's everyone or no one.
This text was created shortly after an internal study by Meta (Facebook, Instagram) leaked. It said the company was aware that its services were addictive to children. Moreover, the report “Behind our smoke screens” available on Netflix describes the neurological mechanisms put in place by these companies to make us addicts.
According to a 2018 study, 70% of minors use social networks. According to another study, 45% of teenagers say they are “constantly connected”. In addition, studies highlighting the perverse effects of social networks have been flourishing for years on the web. Among teenagers, networks like Instagram leave a lot of room for images causing significant psychological problems. It will be recalled that access to these platforms is possible from age 13, an early age.