After Landmark Court Verdicts, Assemblymember Lowenthal Calls on Legislators to Act on Social Media Reform

SACRAMENTO — Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) released the following statement after two landmark victories for families in New Mexico v. Meta Platforms, Inc. and K.G.M. v Meta et al. Yesterday, New Mexico state court found that Meta was liable for misleading users about the safety of its platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) and for failing to protect children from online exploitation. And today, families were once again victorious in court. A Los Angeles County court found Meta and Google’s YouTube negligent in the design and operation of their platforms, leading to harm, addiction, and mental distress to the plaintiff.

“These verdicts reaffirm our need to keep kids safe online and empower families to have greater say over how social media algorithms’ interface with kids. Social media companies have a duty of care to their users, especially kids and teenagers. And today, families and the court reaffirmed that responsibility.”

“As a father, and as a state legislator, I believe that we need sensible legislation that centers and safeguards kids online. For that reason, I have introduced legislation for three years in a row that holds social media platforms financially liable when they are found to have knowingly harmed children. I am also introducing a proposal this year to delay social media access for children under the age of 16. These two bills would hold social media platforms responsible for keeping kids safe and protect them from potentially addictive algorithms.”

“Lastly, verdicts like these are a good start, but they must be supported by legislation. I will continue to work tirelessly so that kids and families can feel safe online again. It is my belief that through legislation that is guided by evidence and informed by parents, we can make both our world and the digital world a safer place for our youth.”