A 2-year-old with a tablet. An 8-year-old scrolling through TikTok. What was once a rare sight is now the norm in American households. According to Common Sense Media’s just-released 2025 Census on Media Use by Kids Zero to Eight, 58% of children have their own tablet by age 4, and nearly one in four 8-year-olds has their own cell phone.
The digitization of childhood is happening earlier than ever before. While overall screen time for young children has held steady at about 2.5 hours daily since 2020, how children are using that time has changed dramatically. Our youngest kids are now spending 14 minutes daily watching short-form videos on platforms explicitly not designed for them, like TikTok and YouTube.
Opinion
In 2024, then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for social media warning labels in a New York Times op-ed, citing data that “adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms.” Murthy’s piece led 42 state attorneys general to call upon Congress to take action.
This is why we are championing California Assembly Bill 56, legislation that would require social media platforms to display clear warning labels about their potential harmful effects on youth mental health and well-being. Just as we needed warning labels for cigarettes and seat belts, we now need warning labels for social media platforms.
These platforms aren’t just entertaining our children, they’re shaping them. Through sophisticated algorithms and addictive features, social media companies are engineering their products to maximize engagement, keeping developing brains scrolling as long as possible. The effects on our children’s mental health are increasingly clear and deeply troubling.
Skeptics might ask why we need warning labels for platforms that many parents knowingly allow their children to use. The answer lies in the latest Common Sense Media research: even though 75% to 80% of parents consistently express concerns about screen media’s effects on their children’s mental health, one in five parents report that their child uses devices for comfort when upset, during meals or to fall asleep. About 20% of kids age 8 and under watch or play on a device every night to fall asleep.
Parents are trying to navigate a complex digital landscape with tools that didn’t exist when they were children themselves, and product policies that change faster than their kids grow. This digital dilemma is even more pronounced in lower-income households, where children spend nearly twice as much time with screens as those from higher-income homes (three hours and 48 minutes versus one hour and 52 minutes daily).
Furthermore, Common Sense Media’s most recent bi-partisan poll has revealed that 81% of parents and 72% of teens favor requiring platforms to display warning labels about their potential risks to children’s and teens’ mental health and well-being.
The bill has been met with expected opposition from tech trade associations. To be clear, social media companies know the potential harm their products can have on children, and it’s time they were required to be transparent about these risks. AB 56 simply educates children, parents and caretakers about the increased mental health risks associated with the use of social media products, empowering them and their families with critical health information.
Fortunately, the European Union has already taken significant steps to protect children online through its Digital Services Act, requiring platforms to consider children’s well-being in their design. Nationally, states like New York and California are leading similar efforts. California has consistently led the nation in enacting laws to protect kids online, and AB 56 continues that leadership.
Of course, warning labels are not a silver bullet — they are just one part of a comprehensive approach that must include safer platform design, age-appropriate experiences and stronger accountability measures. They represent a crucial first step in empowering families with the information they need to make healthier choices about social media use.
The tobacco industry fought health warnings for decades while millions became addicted to their products. We must not repeat this mistake with social media. Parents deserve to know what their children are being exposed to, and tech companies must be held accountable for the products they create.
Jim Steyer is the founder and CEO of Common Sense Media. Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan represents California District 16.
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