Meta Child Safety Bill: California Lawmakers Weigh Safe Harbor Request
Meta is asking California lawmakers to protect the company from tougher penalties in child harm lawsuits. The request comes as the state considers a new Meta Child Safety bill. If approved, the proposal could reduce financial penalties for social media companies that follow strict child safety rules. According to reports, Meta has suggested changes to Assembly Bill 2 (AB 2). The bill would allow companies to qualify for legal protection if they enable several safety features by default.
Proposed Changes Focus on Child Protection
The proposed measures include turning off autoplay for minors and limiting location sharing. They also block messages from unknown adults and hide children’s profiles from public view. In addition, the changes would prevent explicit content from reaching young users.
Meta also wants companies to offer parents more control. For example, parents could manage screen time, monitor online interactions, report harmful behavior, and keep children’s profiles private. However, the proposal arrives while Meta faces hundreds of lawsuits over child safety concerns. Families claim social media platforms failed to protect young users from harmful content and addictive product designs.
Earlier this year, a Los Angeles jury ordered Meta and Google to pay $6 million in damages in one child harm case.
California Senator Tom Umberg declined to comment on the proposed amendments. Likewise, Meta has not publicly discussed the negotiations.
Meanwhile, industry groups argue the bill could conflict with free speech protections under the First Amendment. Supporters of the legislation believe stronger accountability is necessary to improve online safety for children. The bill will now move through the legislative process. Its outcome could shape how social media companies balance child safety measures with legal responsibility in the future.
