Shortly after I wrote my last post about being careful about how much time I spend on apps with endless scrolling, there was some big news: California passed SB 976 which bans algorithmic feeds and late-night notifications for minors. That takes effect on January 1, 2027. There are also two bills working their way through the federal level this summer that do similar things. And this is all in addition to many other states and countries that are in various stages of similar bans.
I have mixed feelings about all this. I’m concerned about the effects of social media and endless-scroll apps on all of us, so I like that we’re doing something to push back on this a bit and make people more aware of the dangers. But on the flip side, I don’t love the government getting involved like this.
The good news is that this feels like another step forward in the very early process of the public starting to realize how harmful these types of apps are. There are plenty of studies showing links to things like anxiety, depression, loneliness, sleep disruption, and dementia, but we’re still lacking the unarguable causation of long-term health implications like we have with smoking.
Social Media Limits for Kids
Shortly after I wrote my last post about being careful about how much time I spend on apps with endless scrolling, there was some big news: California passed SB 976 which bans algorithmic feeds and late-night notifications for minors. That takes effect on January 1, 2027. There are also two bills working their way through the federal level this summer that do similar things. And this is all in addition to many other states and countries that are in various stages of similar bans.
I have mixed feelings about all this. I’m concerned about the effects of social media and endless-scroll apps on all of us, so I like that we’re doing something to push back on this a bit and make people more aware of the dangers. But on the flip side, I don’t love the government getting involved like this.
The good news is that this feels like another step forward in the very early process of the public starting to realize how harmful these types of apps are. There are plenty of studies showing links to things like anxiety, depression, loneliness, sleep disruption, and dementia, but we’re still lacking the unarguable causation of long-term health implications like we have with smoking.