OAKLAND — A new California law will require social media platforms to display warning labels alerting users — particularly children and teens — to the potential mental health risks associated with prolonged use, following the signing of Assembly Bill 56 (AB 56) by Governor Gavin Newsom.
The bill, sponsored by Attorney General Rob Bonta and authored by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), aims to address the growing concerns around Big Tech’s impact on youth mental health.
“Today, California makes clear that we will not sit and wait for companies to decide to prioritize children’s well-being over their profits,” said California Attorney General Bonta. “AB 56 gives California a new tool to protect our children.”
The law mandates that social media companies display warning labels advising that their platforms are associated with significant mental health harms and are not proven safe for young users. These warnings must appear:
- Upon a child or teen’s initial daily access,
- After three hours of cumulative use,
- And once every hour thereafter during continued use.
Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan emphasized the urgency of the issue, stating, “California’s children deserve both transparency about social media’s harms and accountability when platforms cause damage.”
A growing body of research links young people’s use of social media platforms to a variety of serious harms, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes.
AB 56 follows calls from health leaders, including former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, for federal warnings on social media platforms. Bonta joined 42 attorneys general in supporting that proposal, citing mounting research that links excessive social media use to depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation in adolescents.
“Many social media platforms target minors, resulting in a national youth mental health catastrophe. These platforms make their products addictive to minor users, and then profit from selling minor user data to advertisers. These platforms fail to disclose the addicting nature of their products, nor the harms associated with increased social media use. Instead, minor users receive endless tailored and toxic content,” the Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen wrote. “This is why many of our Offices commenced investigations and lawsuits against Meta and TikTok for harming minors. We encourage Congress to act to aid our state-level efforts.”
“As a parent of teenage twins, this is personal,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said. “Social media is ubiquitous, but that does not mean it’s safe for kids. This is one step we can take to safeguard the well-being of Washington youth.”
“Young people across our country are struggling, and these addictive social media algorithms are only making this mental health crisis worse,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. “New York has led the nation in our efforts to protect kids from online harm, but everyone needs to know the risk associated with these social media platforms. The Surgeon General’s recommendation is a strong first step in that direction, and I hope warning labels will be implemented swiftly to raise more awareness about this issue.”
“Social media companies use algorithms to hook children on apps that may harm them or expose them to inappropriate content and other dangers,” said North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein. “We put warning labels on tobacco products so young people understand that they are dangerous – we also need those labels on social media.”
California is also pursuing legal action against Meta and TikTok, alleging that the companies deliberately designed their platforms to addict young users at the expense of their well-being.
With AB 56 now law, California becomes one of the first states to impose such explicit mental health warnings on social media use by minors.
