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A bill seeking to enhance Nebraska children's online safety and limit damaging effects of social media advanced again in the Legislature on Wednesday while also raising concerns about First Amendment rights. Measures in LB504 include limiting data tracking of children, barring manipulative advertising, preventing compulsive usage and allowing for parents to monitor and manage settings on their child's account. It would require platforms to remove features like "infinite" scroll and push notifications during usual school and sleeping hours for minors who use their apps.
"This is the time to stand up for our kids. This bill is a common-sense opportunity for this body to demonstrate the political will to protect Nebraska children online," said state Sen. Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln, who introduced LB504, named the Age-Appropriate Online Design Code Act, on behalf of Gov.
Jim Pillen. Pillen positioned the bill as part of his legislative efforts this session to protect kids online. People are also reading.
.. Bosn "Facebook, TikTok — they're not selling a product.
You get nothing tangibly out of spending time on these platforms. They are profiting off of your being on there by selling your data," Bosn said. During a floor debate that began Tuesday and lasted through much of Wednesday morning, Sen.
George Dungan of Lincoln said several times that he believed the bill infringed on free speech and could face legal challenges because of that. Dungan "Once you start telling a company how to curate their content, like what can or cannot be on a feed, you essentially are doing the same thing as telling a newspaper editorial staff what they can or cannot have on their front page. The court is incredibly clear that is protected speech," he said.
He agreed that social media causes harms that are amplified among young people but said the approach in the bill is "a really dangerous road to go down." Bosn has edited the bill numerous times since its introduction and said the legal challenges that other senators cited are addressed in her bill. Several senators brought up lawsuits in California, where the state has sued social media platforms for making their products addictive to kids.
Those platforms have also sued the state, saying it was limiting free speech and unfairly targeting certain businesses. Wednesday's approval of LB504 was the second of three needed in the Legislature before the governor can sign the bill into law. Other bills Pillen has proposed through senators geared at online safety include LB383 to require parental permission for kids to use social media and LB140, which would ban student cellphone use at school.
Photos: Nebraska Legislature debates winner-take-all bill Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha speaks during debate on a bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol on Tuesday. People listen to Sen.
Rita Sanders of Bellevue speak on the floor during debate on a bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol on Tuesday. Omaha Sens. Megan Hunt and John Fredrickson talk Tuesday during debate on a bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol.
Sen. Loren Lippincott of Central City speaks on the floor during a debate on his bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol on Tuesday. Sen.
Merv Riepe listens to debate on a bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol on Tuesday. Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston during debate on a bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol on Tuesday.
Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue (left) and legislative staffer Dick Clark converse on the floor during debate on a bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol on Tuesday. Sen.
Dave Wordekemper speaks during debate on a bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol on Tuesday. Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte speaks during debate on a bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol on Tuesday.
Sen. Ashlei Spivey during debate on a bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol on Tuesday. Sen.
Ashlei Spivey of Omaha speaks during debate on a bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol on Tuesday. Sen. Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln listens to debate on a bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol on Tuesday.
Sen. John Cavanaugh (right) speaks during debate on a bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol on Tuesday. Sen.
Jane Raybould of Lincoln during debate on a bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol on Tuesday. Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha listens to debate on a bill that would return Nebraska to a winner-take-all presidential election system at the Capitol on Tuesday.
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