US Politics
California could be latest state to mandate tobacco-style health labels on social media
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Lawmakers in the most populous state in the country have passed a bill that would require public health warning labels on popular social media apps when kids are using them following growing concerns about the impacts of social media on youth mental health.
California’s bill, AB 56, requires platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram to show minor users a text from a 2023 surgeon general report that found social media “can have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”
The tobacco label-style warning would kick in for 10 seconds upon logging in, then repeat for 30 seconds after using the apps for more than three hours.
Governor Gavin Newsom has until October 13 to decide on the law.
The Independent has requested comment from Newsom’s office.
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The bill was introduced by Democratic San Francisco Bay Area Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
“We are in the midst of a global mental health crisis,” Bauer-Kahan told Politico of the pending legislation. “The crisis is real, urgent, and getting worse.”
Minnesota became the first state in the country to pass such legislation in July, with a warning law that applies to all users. New York Governor Kathy Hochul is considering a similar bill.
Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy advocated for such policies in an influential op-ed for The New York Times last year. He compared regulating social media to other emergency health and safety measures like food recalls or grounding defective aircraft.
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“Why is it that we have failed to respond to the harms of social media when they are no less urgent or widespread than those posed by unsafe cars, planes or food?” Murthy wrote. “These harms are not a failure of willpower and parenting; they are the consequence of unleashing powerful technology without adequate safety measures, transparency or accountability.”
Forty-two state attorney generals endorsed the idea soon after Murthy’s op-ed was published.
Advocates for such labeling argue it’s necessary to warn social media users of potential harms linked to social media like anxiety, depression, and negative body image.
“Social media companies have demonstrated an unwillingness to tackle the mental health crisis, instead digging in deeper into harnessing addictive features and harmful content for the sake of profits,” Bonta said in a press release supporting the legislation last year.
“Warning labels alone are not a panacea, they are another tool in the toolbox to address the growing mental health crisis and protect future generations of children,” he added.
Social media companies, long an influential force in state politics, could challenge the California legislation.
