New bill allows parents to sue social media if their kids are addicted
California may soon tighten its grip on social media companies, holding them accountable for the harm caused to children addicted to social media products thanks to a new bill passed by the state House of Representatives. .
According to the AP news agency, the bill would allow parents to sue social media companies like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook for up to $25,000.
The bill defines “addiction” in this case as affecting a person under the age of 18 if they have suffered physical, mental, emotional, developmental or material harm and who wish to stop using the apps. use social media but cannot because they are obsessed with them, or feel compelled to use them.
The bill would apply only to social media companies with total revenue of at least $100 million per year and specifically target giants like TikTok and Meta products (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) . The bill does not apply to apps that only allow texting or email, nor does it include video streaming services like Netflix.
Jordan Cunningham, a Republican from San Luis Obispo County and the bill’s author, said: “The era of uncontrolled social media experiments on children is over and we will protect children.”
The bill gives social media companies two ways to avoid liability.
First, if it continues to be passed by higher levels, the bill will go into effect on January 1, and companies that have removed features deemed “addictive” before April 1 will not responsible for damages.
Second, companies that perform regular checks on their products’ activities to identify and remove addictive features can also be exempt from lawsuits.
Some business experts say the bill’s legal risks are still too high and that if it passes, many companies will choose to cease operations in California.
Instagram has faced a major lawsuit this year, with the main reason being addiction. A Connecticut mother has sued Meta and Snap, accusing them of being responsible for her daughter’s suicide, alleging it was linked to an “extreme addiction” to the social media platforms. aforementioned association.
The bill will go to the state Senate for debate in the next few weeks.
Reference: Petapixel
at Blogtuan.info – Source: genk.vn – Read the original article here
