Bill to protect children from addictive online algorithms advances in Senate

by Sana Aljobory for KATU • March 15th, 2025

SEATTLE, Wash. (KATU) — Legislation aimed at safeguarding children's mental and behavioral health from addictive social media algorithms and harmful online content has successfully passed the Senate with a 36-12 vote on Wednesday.

In 2024, an opinion piece by the U.S. surgeon general in the New York Times highlighted that spending three hours online daily doubles the risk of mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.

He also also noted that teenagers average 3.5 hours of online activity each day.

Senate Bill 5708, introduced by Sen. Noel Frame, a Democrat from Seattle, seeks to provide significant protections for minors using online platforms.

The bill regulates addictive feeds and push notifications, requiring users to choose the type of content they receive while allowing platforms to moderate or remove inappropriate content.

This approach prevents the use of a minor's data for an "addictive feed" algorithm designed to capture their attention.

Additionally, the bill limits push notifications, ensuring minors do not receive them during school hours or late at night.

"I think every parent worries about what their children are up to online and the effect social media apps and their addictive content feeds have on their mental health and success at school," said Frame.

"These sophisticated algorithms are so good at keeping you scrolling and scrolling. They can take our attention away from everything else going on in the world. Research shows there’s a direct link between screentime and youth mental health, and I think the Legislature has a responsibility to step in to see if we can help put some real protections in place for kids."

The legislation was developed in collaboration with Attorney General Nick Brown, whose agency requested the bill.

Brown stated, "Passage of SB 5708 is a win for families and young people whose mental health is put at serious risk by compulsive social media use. This is a commonsense and legally sound approach to give families peace of mind their children aren’t being tracked or manipulated by the social media platforms they enjoy."

Brown added, "We’re committed to working with legislators and stakeholders to get the best possible bill to the governor’s desk by end of session."

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration.