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AB-2390 Social Media Harm Reduction Pilot Program.(2023-2024)

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Date Published: 03/22/2024 04:00 AM
AB2390:v98#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Assembly  March 21, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2390

Introduced by Assembly Member Arambula

February 12, 2024

An act to add and repeal Division 21 (commencing with Section 27000) to of the Health and Safety Code, relating to social media.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2390, as amended, Arambula. Social media: pilot program. Social Media Harm Reduction Pilot Program.
Existing law regulates social media platforms, through various acts, including the Cyberbullying Protection Act, that requires a social media platform to, among other things and subject to specified exceptions, disclose all cyberbullying reporting procedures in the terms of service and the Online Violence Prevention Act that requires a social medial platform to, except as specified, clearly and conspicuously state whether it has a mechanism for reporting violent posts that is available to users and nonusers of the platform.

This bill would establish the Social Media Pilot Program, and would require the program to identify the causes of adverse mental health impacts on the users of online social networks, test methods to mitigate the harms of those networks, and develop collection and reporting methods to track both the impacts and the causes of impacts of online social networks.

Existing law establishes the California Health and Human Services Agency, which includes various state departments charged with the administration of health, social, and other human services.
This bill would establish, until December 31, 2029, the Social Media Harm Reduction Pilot Program and would require the California Health and Human Services Agency to designate a nonprofit organization to undertake the responsibilities of the program. The bill would require the program to do various specified tasks, including recommending statewide standards for the use of online social networks by kindergarten and grades 1 to 12 pupils, inclusive, and would require the program to coordinate with existing laws regulating social media platforms to ensure consistency and avoid duplication of effort.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Division 21 (commencing with Section 27000) is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:

DIVISION 21. Social Media Harm Reduction

27000.
 (a) The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:
(1) Despite the potential benefits to society of online social networks, there is substantial evidence that tools designed to increase time spent on these networks result in adverse mental health impacts, especially among elementary and middle school pupils.
(2) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish the Social Media Harm Reduction Pilot Program to comprehensively examine the adverse mental health impacts associated with the use of online social networks by kindergarten and grades 1 to 12 pupils, inclusive, and to intervene as needed to prevent or mitigate those impacts.
(b) The Social Media Harm Reduction Pilot Program is hereby established.
(c) The California Health and Human Services Agency shall designate a nonprofit organization to undertake the responsibilities of the program.
(d) The program shall do all of the following:
(1) Develop model educational materials and methods to leverage existing peer-to-peer support programs to inform pupils about the harms of social media, foster the development of healthy social media habits among pupils, and create a supportive environment in which they may do so.
(2) Evaluate the impact of those educational materials and methods and the peer-to-peer support program through the establishment of statewide learning communities.
(3) Recommend statewide standards for the use of online social networks by kindergarten and grades 1 to 12 pupils, inclusive.
(4) Define best practices for expansion of the program.
(e) The program shall coordinate with existing laws regulating social media platforms, including, but not limited to, the Cyberbullying Protection Act (Chapter 22.2.9 (commencing with Section 22589) of Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code) and the Online Violence Prevention Act (Title 1.81.46 (commencing with Section 1798.99.20) of Part 4 of Division 3 of the Civil Code), to ensure consistency and avoid duplication of effort.
(f) This division shall remain in effect only until December 31, 2029, and as of that date is repealed.

SECTION 1.Division 21 (commencing with Section 27000) is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:
21.Social Media
27000.

(a)The Legislature finds and declares that despite the potential benefits to society of online social networks, there is substantial evidence of adverse mental health impacts on the users of the many tools designed to increase time spent on these networks.

(b)There is hereby established the Social Media Pilot Program.

(c)The pilot program shall identify the causes of adverse mental health impacts on the users of online social networks, test methods to mitigate the harms of those networks, and develop collection and reporting methods to track both the impacts and the causes of impacts of online social networks.