Louisiana Revised Statutes Tit. 51, § 1761. Legislative findings

(1) Technological advances over the past ten years and the advent of social media have opened the door to children for learning and exposure to cultures and interests worldwide.

(2) Unfortunately, data shows that over that same ten-year period, American teenagers, ages twelve through fifteen, who use social media over three hours each day faced twice the risk of having negative mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety symptoms.

(3) The American Academy of Pediatrics declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health recognizing that the use of social media can result in poor mental health, poor general health outcomes, cyberbullying-related depression, body image and disordered eating behaviors, poor sleep, and most tragically, death.

(4) The main social media platforms are well aware of the damage that they are doing to our children, but they have largely been held unaccountable and have little desire to self-regulate as their manipulative targeted advertising to children generated an estimated eleven billion dollars in advertising revenue in just one year.

(5) The children of Louisiana deserve better, and since the federal government has failed to take the necessary action to stop data sharing, selling, and targeted advertising, it is incumbent upon Louisiana to protect our children and hold the major social media platforms accountable.