Law / United States / 
California
AB 2481 (2024), Youth Social Media Protection Act: verified reporter process for large social media platforms
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 22588.2-22588.4
In force since .
A social media and minors rule binding private bodies.
- Audit expectation
- none
What it requires
- Applies to a social media platform as defined in Business and Professions Code section 22675; the verified reporter process and the duties that follow bind only a large social media platform, defined in section 22588.2(c).
- Disclose all social media-related threat reporting procedures for verified reporters in the platform's terms of service (section 22588.3(a)).
- A large social media platform must create a process to verify as verified reporters a principal, or a position of similar responsibility, of any school lawfully operating any programs from kindergarten and grades 1 to 12 in the state, and a mental health professional licensed under California law who provides mental health services to minors in the state (section 22588.3(b)).
- A large social media platform must create a process by which a verified reporter can report a social media-related threat, or a violation of the platform's terms of service, that in the reporter's opinion poses a risk or a severe risk to the health and safety of a minor; the process must allow, but not require, a screenshot upload, give every verified reporter an electronic point of contact for matters involving harms to a minor, and confirm receipt of a report and give a means to track it (section 22588.3(c)).
- A large social media platform must establish an internal process to receive and substantively respond within 72 hours, or within 24 hours if the report is of a severe risk, to a verified reporter's report, and must have a natural person review a report the verified reporter deems to be of a severe risk (section 22588.3(d)).
- A large social media platform that receives a report from a verified reporter must report annually on a publicly accessible internet website the total number of reports from verified reporters, the percentage of each social media-related threat that formed the basis of those reports, and the percentage of those reports for which the platform took further action (section 22588.3(e)).
- A large social media platform must not require a verified reporter to reverify the reporter's qualifications more often than once every two years (section 22588.3(f)).
- The chapter does not reach a service that primarily facilitates the sale or provision of professional services or the sale of commercial products, a service that primarily provides news or information and does not let a user send content directly to a child, or a messaging service of the kind described in section 22588.2(c)(2)(C).
These lines are LexLint's reading of the law's text.
What it reaches
Covered services
Social media platforms as defined in Business and Professions Code section 22675. The verified reporter process and the duties after the terms of service disclosure bind only a large social media platform: one whose terms of service do not prohibit use by a child, that lets a child share images, text or video with users the child met on the platform, and that has more than 100,000,000 monthly global active users or generates more than one billion dollars in gross revenue per year.
Instrument type
an act of a legislature
How the hook was established
express
What makes it apply
User location
Obligation class
Disclosure, Governance
What record it asks for
Logging duty
The section names no log or record; the three annual figures cannot be given without a count of the reports received and what became of each.
- Kind
- Implicit
- As of
- Provision
- Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 22588.3(e): report annually on a public website the number of verified reporter reports, the percentage of each social media-related threat and the percentage the platform took further action on
What this law does
Requires a large social media platform to let school principals and licensed mental health professionals who serve minors in California become verified reporters of social media-related threats to a minor, and to respond to such a report within 72 hours, or within 24 hours if the report is of a severe risk.
A large social media platform is one that does not prohibit use by a child, lets a child share images, text or video with users the child met on the platform, and has more than 100,000,000 monthly global active users or generates more than one billion dollars in gross revenue per year. A platform that receives a report from a verified reporter must report annually on a public website on the reports it received. The chapter was added by Chapter 832, Statutes of 2024 (AB 2481) and became operative on .
When LexLint raises it
When your app profile says your app operates a social platform.
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