California to consider requiring mental health warnings on social media sites

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Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. swift / swɪft / (adj.) – moving or happening very fast
    Example:

    After hearing the fire alarm, the workers made a swift exit from the building to stay safe.


  2. prompt / prɒmpt / (v.) – to cause something to happen or someone to do something
    Example:

    The teacher’s question prompted a lively discussion among the students.


  3. commodity / kəˈmɒd ɪ ti / (n.) – something that can be bought or sold
    Example:

    During the pandemic, basic commodities, like rice, sugar, and flour, became more expensive because of supply problems.


  4. constitutionally / ˌkɒn stɪˈtu ʃə nl i / (adv.) – in a way that is allowed or defined by a country’s rules or laws
    Example:

    The government must act constitutionally to ensure the rights of all citizens are protected.


  5. unsound / ʌnˈsaʊnd / (adj.) – not based on good judgment, truth, or logic that it cannot be trusted or is not reliable
    Example:

    Julian made unsound financial choices that led to serious problems.


Article

Read the text below.

California, home to some of the largest technology companies in the world, would be the first U.S. state to require mental health warning labels on social media sites if lawmakers pass a bill introduced in December.


The legislation sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta is necessary to bolster safety for children online, supporters say, but industry officials vow to fight the measure and others like it under the First Amendment. Warning labels for social media gained swift bipartisan support from dozens of attorneys general, including Bonta, after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to establish the requirements earlier last year, saying social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people.


“These companies know the harmful impact their products can have on our children, and they refuse to take meaningful steps to make them safer,” Bonta said at a news conference. “Time is up. It’s time we stepped in and demanded change.”


State officials haven’t provided details on the bill, but Bonta said the warning labels could pop up once weekly.


Up to 95% of youth ages 13 to 17 say they use a social media platform, and more than a third say that they use social media “almost constantly,” according to 2022 data from the Pew Research Center. Parents’ concerns prompted Australia to pass the world’s first law banning social media for children under 16 in November.


“The promise of social media, although real, has turned into a situation where they’re turning our children’s attention into a commodity,” Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who authored the California bill, said in December. “The attention economy is using our children and their well-being to make money for these California companies.”


Lawmakers instead should focus on online safety education and mental health resources, not warning label bills that are “constitutionally unsound,” said Todd O’Boyle, a vice president of the tech industry policy group Chamber of Progress.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • California is proposing mental health warnings for social media platforms which would appear once weekly to protect young users. Do you think warning labels would change how people use social media? Why or why not? Have you ever ignored a warning label on a product? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • If you could design a warning label for social media, what would it say? Would you also have these warnings pop up once weekly? Why or why not? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Do you think you need a similar policy in your country? Why or why not? Do you know a lot of people who use social media excessively? Discuss.
  • If this bill passed in your country, how do you think young people would react to seeing mental health warning labels on their social media apps? What impact do you think it would have on their behavior or how they use social media? Discuss.