State Attorney General Rob Bonta explains the legislation (SB 976) in a press release, published on May 20th:
California Attorney General Bonta issued the following statement after Senate Bill 976 (SB 976) Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act passed the Senate. SB 976, sponsored by Attorney General Bonta and authored by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), would limit the harms associated with social media addiction. This marks an important continuation of Attorney General Bonta’s commitment to improving child safety online.
“SB 976 puts control back in the hands of parents and children. Our children and teens are experiencing a public health crisis, caused by social media companies in their thirst for profits,” said Attorney General Bonta. “In California, we take mental health seriously, we take children’s online safety seriously — and we know that we don’t have a minute to waste to protect our kids. In California, we move fast and fix things.”
SB 976, co-sponsored by Public Health Advocates and the Association of California School Administrators, takes steps to protect young users from online addiction.
First, SB 976 would give parents the choice of whether users under the age of 18 would receive a chronological feed from users they already follow or the current default on addictive social media platforms, an algorithmic feed. Algorithmic feeds fuel harmful and addictive use of the platforms and heavy social media use can cause mental health harms to young users.
Second, the bill would prohibit social media platforms from sending notifications between 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. to users under age 18, unless a parent or guardian has provided consent.
Third, SB 976 expands parental controls by requiring social media platforms to provide parents the ability to establish certain protections that will be turned on by default, including the ability to halt social media notifications and to block access to platforms for minors during nighttime hours and during the school day.
Reclaim The Net noted in a report that ‘though SB 976 stops short of mandating ID-based verification, similar laws have already taken root in states like Arkansas, Ohio, and Utah, with Florida considering similar measures. Given California’s market size, experts warn that companies might adopt age verification nationwide to simplify compliance.’
‘The bill narrowly passed the Senate, with only two Republicans, Brian Jones and Kelly Seyarto, voting against it. Notably, the bill’s lone Republican co-author, Scott Wilk, abstained from voting,’ RTN added.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
The states, red or blue, are setting up the digital ID system, whether they are cognizant of this or not, and it’s hardly getting any attention. California, however, because of its size and political and tech influence may force more states to follow their lead.
The rest of my commentary is what I said in my report about Florida’s digital ID law that passed earlier this year:
For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.
Proverbs 28:2
I quote this passage a lot but it still bears constant notation because it applies here, too. With more flesh comes more sin, and more sin requires legislation and governance to wrangle it in.
The problem here is that parents need to be the ones setting the parameters and guidelines, not the government. Social media and the internet is a cesspool, and if I was a parent I definitely would not let my children have direct access to it for a long time. But, since parents don’t care anymore, and don’t bring their children up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord,” (Ephesians 6:4) then the government has to trifle the liberties of the people since they won’t do proper judgment.
This goes back to what I’ve covered before and this “nanny state” the U.S. has become, and how the strong majority of Americans want it and depend on it, rather than actually doing right in the first place.
SEE: The United States’ Nanny State Idiocracy And How Liberty And Freedom Have Been Stripped Away
DeSantis has shown before that he loves to play the dictator role when given the chance, following in the footsteps comparable to George W. Bush, and will cease all sorts of rights and autonomy from people and businesses if the situation presents itself. Ultimately, this latest action feeds into the coming digital ID system. DeSantis may claim that he is against CBDCs, but then he does this which acts a precursor to the digital IDs needed to facilitate the CBDCs.
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts about parenting. Regards