By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Aug .29, the California Assembly voted to pass a bill that would require social media platforms to respond to reports of cyberbullying by either removing the content in question or explaining why it is aligned with their platform’s policies,

The bill passed on the Assembly floor with a 71-0 vote.

Titled Cyberbullying Reporting and Accountability, SB 1504,authored by Sen. Henry Stern (D-Calabasas), advanced to Gov. Gavin Newsom desk for his signature or veto.

“Cyberbullying is a deadly and growing crisis.  Social media companies must do their part to respond to cyberbullying threats, like the fight pages that led up to Shaylee Mejia’s death,” Stern said in a statement to California Black Media.

Mejia, 16, died from blunt force trauma to the head, according to a Los Angeles County medical examiner who ruled her death an accident, citing that she fell down a flight of stairs. The family believes her death was caused by a fight at school that was captured on video.

SB 1504 is designed to have social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and others “respond compassionately and predictably” to reports of cyberbullying, Stern said in April.

According to the California Department of Justice (DOJ), Black and Hispanic teens are more likely than their White counterparts to be targets of cyberbullying. In addition, ​​Black teens are about twice as likely as Hispanic or White teens to express that their race or ethnicity made them a target of online mistreatment, according to a 2002 survey by the Pew Research Center.

If signed into law, SB 1504 will not require the Attorney General on behalf of all Californians to bring enforcement actions. Instead, it allows any person who reports cyberbullying and does not receive a timely response to enforce their own rights.

“Schools, students’ and parents’ complaints about cyberbullying often fall on deaf ears with the social media giants. This bill takes the power back,” Stern stated.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post