California bill would let parents sue social media companies for addicting kids

Re:California bill would let parents sue social media compan... by macinjosh on Thursday March 17, 2022 @07:15AM (#30709818)

Yeah, where are the lawsuits against fast food and the junk food industry? Disney puts their toys in happy meals so lets sue them too. They have caused an obesity epidemic amongst children.

Don't even get me started on Lay-Z-Boy chairs and Sony TVs. How many years have sedentary activities taken off our lives!?

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Re:California bill would let parents sue social media compan... by ZeroGravitas on Thursday March 17, 2022 @08:15AM (#30710283)

I assume you are being ironic but that's happening and is a good thing:

https://www.foxnews.com/story/suit-targets-kellogg-viacoms-j...

> A consumer group wants to keep Tony the Tiger from promoting sugary cereals on the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon show, or anywhere else kids are watching.

> The Center for Science in the Public Interest Wednesday announced legal action to try to stop the Kellogg Co. (K), maker of cereals like Frosted Flakes, and Nickelodeon cable network Viacom Inc., (VIA) from marketing junk food to children.

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Re:California bill would let parents sue social media compan... by johnnyanmac on Sunday March 20, 2022 @06:01AM (#30741424)

This is about advertising services to kids tho. Cereal and its pretty logos still appear in stores, in actual ads (just not during Spongebob), on billboards, and more.

This story is more like forbidding kellogs from using mascots on cereal boxes. Which seems both nonsensical and ineffective. Seems like a huge climb to prove that web design is specifically addicting children. It's also a slightly moot point because most social media TOS require a user to be 13 years old anyway.

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Re:California bill would let parents sue social media compan... by newswasboring on Thursday March 17, 2022 @08:59AM (#30710648)

While other people have pointed out that this is already happening, but even if it wasn't, inability to solve one problem should not stop you from solving another.

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Re:California bill would let parents sue social media compan... by johnnyanmac on Sunday March 20, 2022 @05:57AM (#30741408)

"Yeah, where are the lawsuits against fast food and the junk food industry?"

about 15 years ago... the fast food companies won. Seems like all they can succeed on is skimping out on straws.

But yea, I agree on the same line of reasoning. There's a lotta bad stuff out there, it's up to parents to navigate their kids to have them actually understand why it is bad and limit consumption. Not treat it as some forbidden fruit to dine on behind your back. suing companies for providing services that aren't inherently harmful is a slippery slope I'd rather not take.

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Re:California bill would let parents sue social media compan... by AniseAbyss on Thursday March 17, 2022 @07:46AM (#30710043)

My parents worked their ass off but they still cooked dinner. With actual vegetables. Remember those? And we weren't rich or anything.

Funny thing is that parents are the boss in the house. No coca cola we drink water in this household and that's final.

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