Recently, the California legislature passed AB 1709, which could effectively ban kids under 16 from social media by requiring platforms to bar users under 16 from having accounts unless those platforms block a host of “addictive features,” such as autoplay or algorithmically curated content — even with parental approval.

Following the passage of this bill, David Inserra, a fellow for free expression and technology at the Cato Institute, released a statement:

Bills like AB 1709 will force platforms into invasively checking the identity of all users, including adults. The bill also limits access to speech, preventing minors from using social media for content that they are interested in. Even worse, by limiting access to curated feeds, platforms can’t even try to offer kid-friendly feeds, exposing kids to truly any and everything on the internet.

Such a policy also attacks the expressive rights of online platforms that have the same First Amendment rights to curate content as traditional media organizations do. And this is all based on very poor evidence that social media use is actually addictive or the cause of various youth harms. Rather than embracing bills that attack free expression in multiple ways and that will harm kids, policymakers across the U.S. should instead empower parents and educate kids to be safe online.

To speak with David Inserra, contact Cato PR at pr@​cato.​org.