We are excited to announce that Governor Gavin Newsom has signed the Youth Social Media Protection Act (AB 2481) into California law, a critical piece of legislation sponsored by the Organization for Social Media Safety. Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal authored this bill, which provides an important new tool to protect children from dangerous content on social media.
What Does the Youth Social Media Protect Act Do?
Starting January 1, 2026, AB 2481 will require large social media platforms to establish a verified reporting system. This system will allow school principals, most school counselors, and licensed mental health professionals to report (voluntarily) content that poses a severe risk to a child, such as: cyberbullying, suicide-related content, drug trafficking, violence, and sexual predation, among other threats. Platforms will then be required to respond to these reports within 72 or 24 hours, depending upon the severity of the risk. Such reports will also require a human review by the social media platform.
Why The Youth Social Media Protection Act Matters
Current research shows unequivocally that social media harms millions of California’s children yearly, many seriously. Such harms include cyberbullying, suicide, eating disorders, drug trafficking, sexual predation and exploitation, and violence, among many others. Despite the severity of these social media-related harms, social media platforms continue to provide an insufficient response to threats facing their users.
According to a survey by the ADL:
- 41% of respondents who experienced a physical threat stated that the platform took no action on a threatening post, an increase from the 38% who had reported a similar lack of action the year before.
- Only 14% of those who experienced a physical threat said the platform deleted the threatening content, a significant drop from 22% the prior year.
- Just 17% of those who experienced a physical threat stated that the platform blocked the perpetrator who posted the content, a sharp decrease from the prior year’s 28%.
Seriously dangerous content, tragically, either indefinitely remains on platforms even after reports from at-risk, targeted youth, or the response from reports comes far too late after significant harm has been done.
California’s educational leaders and licensed mental health professionals regularly bear direct witness to severe harm being inflicted upon youth due to social media content while having no means to address such content and protect the children in their care. By creating a verified reporter process, California can enable its trusted professionals, with their expert, experienced judgment, to alert social media platforms to impending, severe risks facing children.
What’s Next?
While the law will officially come into effect on January 1, 2026, we encourage schools and mental health professionals to begin preparing now. Here’s what you can do:
Stay informed: Learn about the new reporting systems that platforms will be required to implement under AB 2481.
Educate your teams: Make sure your staff is prepared to use this system to protect students when necessary.
Reach out to us: The Organization for Social Media Safety is here to provide support, resources, and guidance as this law is implemented.
This legislation is a real step forward in keeping our children safe from the increasing dangers of social media.
For More Information
We are here to help! If you have any questions or would like additional information on how the Youth Social Media Protection Act will be implemented, feel free to contact the Organization for Social Media Safety. Please let us know if you live outside of California and would like to bring this law to your state. Together, we can protect our families from the harms of social media.