What is this bill about?
AB 2390 establishes a pilot program to develop methods to mitigate the harm to youth and adolescents caused by modern social media platform design.
How does it align with yli’s values?
The promise of social media was to build virtual communities that would bring people together to share information and ideas. Unfortunately, social media companies have abused their position as facilitators of some of the most personal human interactions by prioritizing screen time and profits over the mental health of their users. Because of the drastic increase in social media usage, today’s teens and adolescents are in crisis at epidemic levels. Fifty percent of teens report at least one symptom of clinical dependency on social media, including restlessness, withdrawal from friends and family, neglecting responsibilities, and increasingly relying on social media as a coping mechanism.
AB 2657 establishes a pilot program to develop methods to mitigate the harm to youth and adolescents caused by modern social media platform design.
This policy aligns with our Health Justice Platform, which envisions a thriving world that supports healthy choices for all people.
What is yli doing about it?
yli leads the Healthy Online Platforms for Everyone (HOPE) Coalition to hold social media companies accountable for the messaging youth receive online. HOPE includes youth, organizations, and responsible tech advocators across California. It centers youth experiences to lead conversations, drive research, and advocate for safer online spaces, and offers educational workshops on the impacts of social media on youth’s mental health and well-being.
HOPE is working towards building a statewide network of emerging youth leaders to continue the conversation in their own communities.
Who else supports this bill?
- The Social Changery
- Children Now
- Daly City Youth Health Center
- One East Palo Alto
- Oakland Privacy
- Good4Media
- New Hope Academy of Change
- Global Society of Retired Computer Scientists
- Wings of Healing Ministries
- Therapists for Peace & Justice
- Harris Consulting Oracle Apps INC
- Halimiton Inst.
- Prevention Partnership International