“Shocking New Law Forces Social Media Giants to Let Parents Take Control – Your Kids’ Online Safety Will Never Be the Same!”

By Familyguide Contributor

In a significant move to protect children’s online well-being, California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law a bill aimed at helping parents regulate their children’s social media usage and reduce its addictive nature.

The newly enacted legislation mandates that social media platforms provide an option to disable their algorithm, presenting users with a chronological feed of posts solely from followed accounts. For minors, this uncurated feed will be the default setting.

Additionally, the law prohibits social media apps from sending notifications to minors between midnight and 6 a.m., as well as from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on school days during the academic year. This feature can only be deactivated with parental or guardian consent.

Governor Newsom emphasized the importance of this law, stating to the Associated Press, “Every parent is aware of the detrimental effects social media addiction can have on their children, including isolation, stress, anxiety, and countless hours wasted late at night. This bill is California’s step towards safeguarding children and teenagers from features deliberately designed to foster these destructive habits.”

This California legislation is part of a broader national effort to shield children from social media’s addictive nature. Earlier this year, U.S. Attorney General Vivek Murthy recommended that Congress implement a Surgeon General’s Warning on social media, citing its undeniable negative impact on minors’ mental health.

Murthy expressed his concerns to Fox News in June, saying, “I’m observing what’s happening online, particularly on social media, and I’m concerned about all of our children. The warning label I’m advocating for is one component of a more comprehensive set of strategies we need to implement, not only to alert parents about these dangers but ultimately to make social media safer for kids.”

The Attorney General’s recommendation received strong support from 42 state attorneys general, who endorsed the warning in a letter to Congress in early September.

California’s new law is one of several across the nation set to take effect in the coming years, all aimed at protecting younger generations from social media addiction. As these laws begin to curb social media’s influence on children’s attention, there’s hope that rates of anxiety and depression will also decrease.

The California law is scheduled to go into effect in 2027.

This legislation mirrors efforts in other states, such as Florida, where similar measures have been endorsed. The growing bipartisan support for regulating social media companies reflects an increasing awareness of the potential harm these platforms can cause to young users.

As these regulations begin to take shape, it’s clear that protecting children’s mental health and well-being in the digital age has become a priority for lawmakers across the political spectrum. The hope is that these measures will create a safer online environment for the younger generation, allowing them to focus more on their studies and real-world interactions rather than their screens.