Tech Industry Dodges California Social Media Addiction Bill
This article is for subscribers only.
Legislation aiming to hold social media platforms liable for addiction and other harms (S.B. 680) to child users was killed by a key committee Friday, the second year in a row this has happened.
The bill, authored by state Sen. Nancy Skinner (D), failed to overcome intense opposition from the tech industry that helped kill a similar measure last year. It would have let the attorney general and public attorneys file civil suits against social media companies for knowingly putting in addictive or harmful designs and algorithms, which could lead to a $250,000 penalty per violation plus litigation costs.