Common Sense Media Responds to Ninth Circuit's Injunction Against California's SB 976
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 29, 2025 — In response to the Ninth Circuit Court's decision to temporarily block California's SB 976, the Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act, Common Sense Media Senior Counsel for Tech Policy Holly Grosshans issued the following statement:
"The Ninth Circuit's decision to temporarily block SB 976 from being enforced while the appeal is pending will not deter our commitment to protecting children from social media's addictive design features that prioritize engagement over wellbeing. The facts haven't changed since this law was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. Social media platforms continue to harm young people's mental health through deliberately addictive design features.
"Let's be clear about what's really happening here: NetChoice and its member companies – including Meta and X – are not fighting for free speech. They are fighting to preserve their ability to deploy design features scientifically engineered to keep young people scrolling endlessly on their platforms. Their claim that personalized feeds constitute protected speech is a cynical attempt to dress up profit-driven algorithms in First Amendment clothing.
"This legal battle underscores new Common Sense Media research revealing widespread distrust of major technology companies among teens. Over half of teens surveyed report that they do not trust tech companies to make ethical and responsible design decisions (53%) or prioritize user safety over profits (62%).
"We remain confident that SB 976 will ultimately be upheld to address a genuine public health crisis affecting California's youth. While we await the hearing in April, Common Sense Media will continue working alongside California's Department of Justice and our partners to defend this vital legislation. The tech industry's resistance to reasonable regulation only underscores why these protections are so desperately needed. Our children's well-being must take precedence over tech company profits."
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