Sponsors pursue social media warning labels
Bipartisan lawmakers want social media platforms to let users know that their applications carry addictive properties.
Rep. Christine Cockley, D-Columbus, and Rep. Jodi Salvo, R-Zoar, recently introduced their proposal to require those platforms to include a warning label when a user accesses their site (HB 808).
Salvo said the legislation would give parents additional insight into how certain apps could be affecting their children, many of whom are experiencing heightened amounts of mental health challenges as a result of being online.
“I think we can all see that we're definitely having increased issues with mental health and anxiety, and growing research connecting excessive social media use with anxiety, depression, mental health challenges especially,” she said in an interview.
“So, you know, what this does is it just provides a warning label information. I think that's the least we could do to take a proactive step to address these concerns.”
As Cockley explained, the measure would require the attorney general’s office to maintain a publicly accessible website for residents to submit complaints when a social media platform does not comply with the bill.
If the platform is found to be noncompliant, the office could pursue civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation in addition to any damages caused directly or indirectly by the violation.
“Should the bill be signed into law, it would allow the director of [the Department of] Behavioral Health to collaborate with the Department of Health and Department of Education & Workforce to create the text that would be used by social medias,” Cockley said.
“They would also determine the frequency for the social media to have the pop up or the warning label. It has boundaries to make sure that it's not just, you know, hidden inside of a terms in use.”
Cockley said the proposal was inspired by legislation signed into law by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and that received heavy opposition from tech companies.
She expects those companies to hold a similar position as the bill advances through the committee process.
“We're expecting there to be quite a bit of opposition,” Cockley said. “But in reality, this is a bipartisan issue.”
The plan is the latest attempt by lawmakers to regulate social media platforms, in addition to competing measures still in the Senate that would require certain apps to provide parental controls and obtain parental consent before displaying any harmful content (SB 167 & SB 175).
Cockley, meanwhile, is leading legislation with Rep. Ty Mathews, R-Findlay, that would penalize artificial intelligence chatbots that encourage young people to harm themselves or others (HB 524).
As is the case with HB524, Cockley said, HB808 falls in line of the Trump Administration’s recently released AI framework, which calls for more stringent tech guardrails around children.
“I think one of the important things that we need to keep in mind is that this is about the product, not the content and speech, and we need to make sure that these tech companies are not choosing profit over the safety of children,” she said.
Salvo reiterated that the bill would not require AI platforms to have a warning label, as they are not currently designed to maximize user engagement.
That, however, could change.
“This particular piece of legislation doesn't call out what social media platforms they are, but it does say those that are designed to maximize user engagement,” she said. “So if AI would morph and change, and we would see that type of behavior clearly, it would be in this particular bill.”
The legislation would also order the DBH director to submit an annual report to the governor, the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House and varying committee chairs documenting how the warning label was created, appears and how long it shows up on each social media site.