The current state of technology marks a turning point unlike anything we’ve seen before. Social media and gambling, integrated in video games and apps, have been creating new forms of addiction for years. Now, artificial intelligence is making the addictiveness of these systems much more potent, shaping how young people think, behave and grow up. 

For years, parents’ concerns about the harmful impacts of technology on our kids were often dismissed by tech executives and their companies as moral panic. That gaslighting has now been debunked over and over again. A growing body of research shows clear and measurable impacts on children’s mental health. 

Studies have found that higher social media use is associated with increased depression in kids over time, and other research shows that children spending more than two hours a day on social platforms face significantly higher risks of anxiety and depression. In fact, 45% of teens now say they spend too much time on social media, and many — especially girls — report negative effects on sleep, confidence and mental health. Excessive use has also been linked to poor sleep, emotional distress and even self-harm and suicide.

These outcomes are not accidental. Increasingly, evidence shows that the technology is intentionally designed to addict kids. These tech corporations have admitted, in their own internal emails, that the longer they capture kids’ attention, the more money they make through ad revenue or active gambling. And, they know addicting kids young means they will be lifelong customers. Internal emails and recent lawsuits have revealed that companies understood the effects and continued to optimize for engagement anyway. 

Some excerpts from a Meta researcher’s internal emails were shared recently in a CalMatters article, so you can see for yourself just how blatant their actions were:  

“‘Oh my gosh yall IG is a drug,’ the user experience specialist allegedly wrote to a colleague, referring to the social media platform Instagram. ‘We’re basically pushers … We are causing Reward Deficit Disorder bc people are binging on IG so much they can’t feel reward anymore. The researcher concluded that users’ addiction was ‘biological and psychological’ and that company management was keen to exploit the dynamic. ‘The top down directives drive it all towards making sure people keep coming back for more,’ the researcher added.”

In these systems, kids are not just users — they are a commodity. Their attention, data and behavioral patterns are all just dollar signs. The business model depends on maximizing time spent, clicks and emotional reactions. And, it’s all connected: Social media, gambling, AI – it all needs guardrails in order to protect our kids. 

Fortunately, there’s good news that things are starting to shift in the right direction. 

In a recent landmark case, a jury found that Meta and Google knowingly designed addictive platforms that harmed a young user’s mental health, awarding millions in damages. Separate rulings have imposed hundreds of millions in penalties, with courts explicitly questioning platform design choices and their impact on children. The language coming out of these trials is striking, with platforms described as engineered, addictive, and even predatory. And the conclusion many are drawing is hard to ignore — corporations don’t care about child safety, only profits. To these companies, the impact on kids and the resulting lawsuits are just the cost of doing business. These cases are being compared to early litigation against tobacco companies — a signal that accountability is beginning to catch up with the industry. Our laws must do the same.

We have the chance to do it right and responsibly. I am working with a bipartisan cohort of policymakers to take action, lawsuits are forcing transparency, and public awareness is growing. The question is whether meaningful guardrails will follow: age-appropriate design, limits on addictive features, algorithmic transparency, and real accountability for harm.

Some of the legislation I am carrying and supporting to tackle these growing concerns includes:

• Social Media Protections (Assembly Bill 1700 and AB 1709: Creates the e-Safety Commission to develop minimum age guidelines for tech companies and prohibiting companies from letting minors under 16 create social media accounts.

• Protecting Children from Online Gambling Act (AB 2617): Defines online gambling for kids, prohibits advertising to kids under that definition, and provides the attorney general authority to enforce that prohibition.

• Whistleblower Protection and Privacy Act (AB 2021): Establishes a robust protection and incentive framework for individuals who expose companies illegally collecting, selling, or failing to delete the private data of Californians — especially children.

• AI Deployment & Workforce Displacement Assessment (AB 2545): Strengthens worker protections by studying the impact of artificial intelligence deployment on the labor market, workforce displacement, and assessing the future demand on state support for displaced workers, while identifying gaps to ensure timely, effective safeguards and access to essential services for impacted workers.

When it comes to social media, AI, and online gambling, and its impact on our kids, the stakes could not be higher. Next week, I am hosting a town hall to talk in more depth about what we are facing when it comes to tech, data and privacy: how it impacts our kids and families, how policymakers can help to navigate what’s next responsibly, and steps you can take to protect your data and privacy. I hope you will join me. 

To learn more or RSVP, visit: tinyurl.com/mr3t9f5h.

Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, represents the 40th Assembly District, which includes most of the Santa Clarita Valley in addition to the northwest San Fernando Valley. “Democratic Voices” appears Tuesdays and rotates among local Democrats.

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