Should social media companies pay for harm to children? California bill would make it so

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

NEW SOCIAL MEDIA BILL RESURRECTS OLD CONFLICTS

Once again, California lawmakers have introduced a bill aimed at holding social media companies accountable for harms inflicted on children. And once again, social media companies are pushing back.

This time, the bill is AB 3172, by Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal, D-Long Beach. It would stipulate that social media platforms would be on the hook financially for online harms to minors that are proven in court. The bill amends California’s negligence law by setting statutory damages at $5,000 for each violation, up to $1 million per child affected.

Like previous such attempts to go after social media companies for harms suffered by children, AB 3172 is sponsored by Common Sense Media.

Common Sense Media founder James Steyer said in a statement that social media companies will not stop pushing harmful and addictive features to young people until they are held liable in court.

“Lawmakers in Sacramento should overwhelmingly pass AB 3172 to defend children and put an end to business practices that have resulted in tragic consequences for young people and their families in California and across the country,” he said.

And speaking out against the bill, as they have previous similar legislation, is the center-left Chamber of Progress, whose CEO, Adam Kovacevich, is a former Google executive.

In a statement, Kovacevich warned that the bill would be used to censor what children can see online, including LGBTQ teens and users looking for information on reproductive health.

“By requiring that social media platforms put teens in a bubble, this legislation threatens to cut young people off from a whole world of information,” he said.

NEW COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS TROUBLED HOSPITALS

Last year, Madera Community Hospital became the latest hospital to shutter due to financial hardship. The closure left the surrounding community without nearby medical care, and reopening the hospital has been a gradual process.

A new legislative select committee seeks to prevent that from happening to any other California community.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, on Wednesday announced the creation of the Select Committee on Distressed Hospitals and tapped Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria, D-Fresno, to run it.

“The closure of Madera Community Hospital is not an isolated incident, hospitals across the state have been experiencing financial challenges, which were aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Soria said in a statement.

She added that these struggling hospitals serve a high percentage of Medi-Cal patients and often are located in rural parts of the state, where the next closest hospital may be many miles away.

“We must explore why hospitals are struggling to stay afloat and develop solutions to prevent more hospitals from closing and eliminating vital services to our communities,” she said, adding that the select committee will look at both short- and long-term solutions to the problem.

Soria’s office said that the select committee will hold two informational hearings this year in parts of the state with the highest concentration of distressed hospitals.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Thanks to leadership in the Assembly and Senate, California is stepping up with a balanced approach that will take a significant chunk out of the projected shortfall. Despite the uncertainty due to the federal tax deadline delay last year, historic reserves and fiscal responsibility will assure a balanced budget that meets California’s needs.”

- California Gov. Gavin Newsom, announcing an agreement to address the state’s towering fiscal deficit, in a statement.

Best of The Bee:

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders on Wednesday announced an early action budget deal to help curb the state’s large projected deficit by $12 billion to $18 billion, via Lindsey Holden and Andrew Sheeler.

• The Sacramento City Council late Tuesday night approved a Gaza cease-fire resolution proposed by leaders in the region’s Jewish and Muslim communities, via Theresa Clift.

• One of the top four mayoral candidates has conceded following the release of another batch of votes. Steve Hansen, with 21% of the vote, trailed Richard Pan by about 338 votes on Tuesday afternoon, two weeks after the primary, via Theresa Clift.

• California’s most reputable source for telework data will indeed disappear from the internet soon, according to a new memo from CalHR’s top brass, via Maya Miller.

• The Department of Insurance Monday ordered a health care company to stop selling membership plans in California saying it was not licensed to do so, via Stephen Hobbs.

• Early results from the special primary election in California’s 20th Congressional District suggest there will be a May runoff in the race to replace retired Rep. Kevin McCarthy, via Gillian Brassil.