California Assembly Approves Common Sense Media-Sponsored Social Media Accountability Legislation
In a major step forward, the bill now heads to the State Senate
SAN FRANCISCO, May 12, 2025 — The California State Assembly today unanimously approved Assembly Bill 2 (AB 2), a kids' online safety bill sponsored by Common Sense Media and authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) to strengthen financial penalties against social media companies that are found liable in court for harming minors through those companies' own negligence. Experts associate excessive social media use with a rise in youth mental health issues.
In response to AB 2's passage in the Assembly, Common Sense Media Founder and CEO James P. Steyer issued the following statement:
"Common Sense Media applauds the Assembly for giving such strong bipartisan support toward holding social media companies accountable for harming kids and teens. We commend Speaker Rivas, Assemblymember Lowenthal, and Assemblymember Patterson for their leadership on AB 2 and for bringing this critical legislation to the floor for a vote. We also thank the coalition of parents, kids, and advocates who worked with us to make this progress possible.
"If a company sells your kid a bike, and your kid gets hurt when it breaks, you can go to court to hold that company accountable under current law. The same is true for social media companies. By strengthening penalties for harms caused by social media companies' negligence toward kids and teens, AB 2 helps families by sending a powerful message to these companies — if your platforms hurt kids, you could pay the price.
"We look forward to working with state senators to get this legislation sent to Governor Newsom's desk this year."
More information on AB2 can be found here. The bill will be considered next by the State Senate.
About Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive. Our ratings, research, and resources reach more than 150 million users worldwide and 1.4 million educators every year. Learn more at commonsense.org.