California social media addiction bill drops parent lawsuits

By ADAM BEAM
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A bill in the California Legislature to make social media companies liable for addicting children has changed. A previous version of the bill would have let parents sue social media companies for knowingly using products that harmed children. A revised version would only let prosecutors file those lawsuits. Republican Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham said he made the change to make sure the bill has enough votes to pass the state Senate. But social media companies are still opposed. TechNet, a group of technology CEOs and senior executives, says the legislation would violate companies’ First Amendment rights.