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Newsom to sign California bill to limit 'addictive' social media feeds for kids

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Newsom to sign California bill to limit 'addictive' social media feeds for kids


California will take a major step in its fight to protect children from the ills of social media with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature on a bill to limit the ability of companies to provide “addictive feeds” to minors.

The governor’s office said Newsom on Friday will sign Senate Bill 976, named the Protecting Our Kids From Social Media Addiction Act and introduced by state Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley). The bill was supported by state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and groups such as the Assn. of California School Administrators, Common Sense Media and the California chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Newsom’s wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, is also outspoken about the links between social media consumption and low self-esteem, depression and anxiety among youth.

The legislation attracted an unusual collection of opponents, including the American Civil Liberties Union of California, Equality California and associations representing giants in the industry that own TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. The California Chamber of Commerce argued that the legislation “unconstitutionally burdens” access to lawful content, setting up the potential for another lawsuit in an ongoing court battle between the state and social media companies over use of the platforms by children.

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“Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night,” Newsom said. “With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits.”

The bill, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2027, with Newsom’s signature, prohibits internet service and applications from providing “addictive feeds,” defined as media curated based on information gathered on or provided by the user, to minors without parental consent. SB 976 also bans companies from sending notifications to users identified as minors between midnight and 6 a.m. or during the school day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. unless parents give the OK.

The bill will effectively require companies to make posts from people children know and follow appear in chronological order on their social media feeds instead of in an arrangement to maximize engagement. Proponents of the bill point to warnings from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and others about a mental health crisis among youths, which studies show is exacerbated by the use of social media.

“As a mother, I’m proud of California’s continued leadership in holding technology companies accountable for their products and ensuring those products are not harmful to children. Thank you to the Governor and Senator Skinner for taking a critical step in protecting children and ensuring their safety is prioritized over companies’ profits,” Siebel Newsom said.

The industry has argued that it’s false to assume that feeds curated by an algorithm are harmful but that a chronological feed is safe. The ACLU also argued that age verification creates potential privacy concerns because it could require the collection of additional user data that could be at risk in a security breach and because it could threaten the 1st Amendment rights of people who cannot verify their age.

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Several groups advocating for LGBTQ+ youths suggested the bill could limit youths’ ability to engage on platforms that offer emotional support for their identities, particularly for kids who live in communities that might be hostile to their identity. Giving more control to parents could also potentially result in parents choosing settings that share sensitive information about the child, the groups said.

The bill marks the latest action in a battle between state government and social media companies taking place in the California Legislature and the court system over the use of platforms by children.

In October, Bonta’s office filed a lawsuit with 32 other states against Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, alleging that the company designed apps specifically to addict young users while misleading the public about the adverse effects.

A bill that failed last year in the California Legislature would have made social media companies liable for up to $250,000 in damages if they knowingly promoted features that could harm children. Portions of a 2022 law that sought to require companies to provide privacy protections for children have also been held up in court.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.



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What's in store for California's new water year? Experts say 'extremes are getting more extreme'

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What's in store for California's new water year? Experts say 'extremes are getting more extreme'


LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Extreme weather and our changing climate means that forecasting has become even more important.

To help you become more climate-ready, ABC News and the ABC Owned Television Stations have teamed up to help you navigate this new reality.

What’s in store for California’s water year?

The state’s water year begins October 12 and ends September 30 of next year.

Typically, fall rain starts in October then the bulk of California’s rain falls from December to February. April is when we see peak snowpack. So what will this year look like? Climate experts are warning to be ready for some extremes.

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“What we’re seeing in the forecast right now is that we’re likely off to another late start to the wet season,” said Dr. Michael Anderson, who serves as the official State Climatologist for California. “Meaning, the dry conditions continuing and certainly still seeing the above-normal temperatures.”

High pressure is also in the mix, meaning rainfall could be delayed this year.

“That can happen as high pressure kind of keeps things, pushing storms to the north and we’re seeing that right now with almost all the [precipitation] activity hitting the very southern end of Alaska and northern British Columbia,” said Anderson.

But when it arrives, forecasters are urging people to be ready seeing as to we could see more extreme rain events during dry seasons.

“The one constant we are seeing is that extremes are getting more extreme,” said Jason Ince with the California Department of Water Resources. “Our droughts are getting longer and hotter, our big storms are getting stronger since warmer air can hold more moisture.”

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Forecasters are also on the lookout for Santa Ana and Diablo wind events this fall and the potential for decaying tropical systems to cause thunderstorms, which are both concerning for fire crews.

“We end up with some pretty good [precipitation] events sometimes with some thunderstorms, but those thunderstorms, if they’re dry can be fire starters which can be a problem,” said Anderson.

Our water demand is the highest from May to August but remember, this September started out dangerously hot in California so were still on the tail end of this season. Well finish this water year end of September. To learn more on the new water year, click here.

Copyright © 2024 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.



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New California law will force companies to admit you don't own digital content

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New California law will force companies to admit you don't own digital content


California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 2426, a new law that requires digital marketplaces to make clearer to customers when they are only purchasing a license to access media. The law will not apply to cases of permanent offline downloads, only to the all-too-common situation of buying digital copies of video games, music, movies, TV shows or ebooks from an online storefront. spotted the development, which could see marketplaces facing fines for false advertising in the state if they don’t use clear language to explain the limitations of what access entails. In other words, you won’t be seeing language like “buy” or “purchase” once the law takes effect in 2025.

The move to digital storefronts has raised new parallel concerns about ownership and preservation for media in the modern age. Ubisoft’s move to after the game’s servers shuttered is one of the most recent examples of how customers can suddenly lose access to media they felt they owned. The new California law won’t stop situations like The Crew‘s disappearance from happening, and it won’t stop those losses from hurting. But it does make clearer that ownership is a pretty rare and intangible thing for digital media.

Governor Newsom is having a busy week. He also signed the state’s “” bill yesterday and last week signed two bills with protections against , both living and deceased.



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Letters to the Editor: Prop. 36 is a sensible response to theft and addiction in California

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Letters to the Editor: Prop. 36 is a sensible response to theft and addiction in California


To the editor: I was disappointed to read The Times’ editorial opposing Proposition 36, a ballot measure that would reclassify some misdemeanors as felonies and would also create a new category of crime called a “treatment-mandated felony.”

For full disclosure, I am the assistant CEO of the California District Attorneys Assn., which is one of the sponsors of Proposition 36.

Proposition 36 is a measured approach to the horrible situation we find ourselves in. It makes smart and surgical modifications to Proposition 47, a well-intended but problematic measure passed 10 years ago. I hope your readers take a look at the editorial by the San Jose Mercury News saying that Proposition 36 is a “smart response” to crime, addiction and homelessness.

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A recent highly respected poll found that 71% of likely California voters were in favor of the ballot measure. Among these are people who have lost loved ones to fentanyl and are tired of going to CVS and seeing socks and razors under lock and key.

Contrary to rhetoric of Proposition 36 opponents, nobody wants to go back to the days of disparately locking up brown and Black people. The goal is to make us more safe and help those living with addiction, mental illness and homelessness.

Proposition 36 will not solve the problem, but it will be one small step in the right direction.

Jonathan Raven, Davis, Calif.

..

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To the editor: The choices we make have consequences. When people make poor choices, like committing a third misdemeanor theft, those people should receive negative consequences.

California politicians have created policies and a culture that have resulted in a lack of appropriate negative consequences for people who make poor choices. Instead, those consequences land on society.

Unhoused people who break the law and refuse help are allowed to go on destroying themselves and our communities, while consequences such as fires and hazardous waste plague the rest of us. Thieves who steal everything from detergent to copper wiring go largely unpunished, while the rest of us wait for the keys to store cabinets and walk on unsafe, dark sidewalks.

The editorial board’s opposition to Proposition 36 shows its disconnect from reality. A kindergartner learns that choices have consequences. We Angelenos have learned what happens when our leaders and law enforcement officials fail to hold people accountable for their actions.

Progressive leniency has resulted in the filthy city we have today. We must hold everyone accountable to the same legal standards and consequences. Don’t steal the pizza.

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Victoria Mordecai, San Marino



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