The California Catholic Conference (CCC) is urging the state’s residents to contact lawmakers to support AB 1709, a proposed bill that would prohibit social media companies from offering “addictive features” to children under 16 years old.
In an “action alert” from the CCC, the organization pointed out that several studies show that social media can be harmful to young children.
“Since 2007, rates of depression, anxiety, and self-harm have skyrocketed, especially among teen girls,” the alert stated. “The average teen spends nearly five hours a day on social media. Young people self-report feeling addicted, experiencing damaging messages to their body image and self-esteem from the comparisons and endless scrolling, receiving unwanted contact by strangers, and exposure to harmful content including eating disorders, suicidal ideation, violence, pornography, and drug use.
“Children have the right to be children and to parental protection from harmful materials. Establishing the age of receiving a social media account at 16 helps preserve children's social and emotional development and parents' rights to safeguard their children from such harms.”
The alert comes as parents and leaders worldwide grapple with the effect smartphones and social media are having on young people.
In December 2025, Australia banned social media for all young people under 16 years old, leading to several other countries and U.S. states proposing similar laws.
On Aug. 26, Meta — the parent company behind Facebook and Instagram — agreed to pay $17 billion to settle a lawsuit over teen social-media addiction.
Locally in the past two years, the Los Angeles Unified School District limited screen time and banned all students from bringing or using smartphones while on campus.
A July 1 Pew survey found that 56% of Americans supported some kind of social media ban for those 16 years of age and younger.
More information: cacatholic.org/alerts.
