AG William Tong announced he is seeking state legislation to prohibit social media companies from exposing minors to harmful and addictive algorithms and notifications without parental consent. The legislation, modeled after similar measures in New York, California and Utah, would also establish a series of default settings regarding account privacy, time of use and notifications, including barring notifications between midnight and 6 a.m. and limiting social media use to one hour per-day. Parental consent would be required to alter the default settings. “Our teenagers spend hours each day glued to social media, with dire consequences for their learning, relationships and mental health. These platforms are addictive by design– with algorithms and constant alerts honed to maximize profits by overriding self-control. We need to give parents back some control, and families can’t afford to wait for the federal government or the tech giants to do it,” said AG Tong.

Attorney General Tong Announces Legislation to Combat Youth Social Media Addiction