Governor Tim Walz signed the law this year, which asks the sites that provide users with the warning label from July 2026. The compensations of social networks say they change or try to block the application, but supporters say that emerging windows, tougurage people. Your online time.
“I think he The evidence is very clear This use of social networks is related to depression, anxiety, loneliness, self -harm, suicidal ideal, eating disorders, all types of terrible mental health conditions, “says Democratic State Representative Zack Stephenson, the main sponsor of the Law.
Stephenson says that labels, although they are not yet written, will be like warnings for tobacco or alcohol products, and depends on the Minnesota Health Department to decide what they say.
“If I had expected Big Tobacco to make cigarettes less addictive in the 50s and 60s, it would have a very errors bone,” says Stephenson. “Addiction was its business model. And the same is true for great technology.”
A national position of the Biden era
According to President Biden, former American surgeon General Vivek Murthy asked Warning labels To be placed on places last year. Hey pointed out Research indicating that prolonged social networks Use can lead to worse mental health results, high rates of eating disorders and body image problems between children and adolescents. Minnesota is the first state to approve legislation that requires children or labels. New York could soon continue.
In Minnesota, not adding the labels could be with the investigation and civil punishment applied by the State Attorney General. Social networks platforms also have to provide resources to address the results of the mental health of the management, such as contacts for the direct suicide and crisis line 988, something that the defenders of suicide prevention fought.
While warning labels are not the complete solution to protect young people online, “they serve as a really powerful tool to educate the public, giving them aware that the things that are taking place in social networks represent a significant danger to say their incidents, he says, he says, he says, he says, he says, he says, he says, says the children who say the education of the La Malesses Save.
Technology goes back
The bill faced some opposition from Republicans in the Capitol that said it could limit freedom of expression, but others in the party supported the proposal, saying that the impacts of social networks on young people require a harder response.
Netchoice, a group of the industry that represents social networks companies, says it will ask legislators to retreat the law during the next year. If that fails, Netchoice says it could sue the State.
“I think it forces Companies to be denigrated essentially in a way that they would otherwise choose,” says Paul Taske, co -director of the group litigation center. “We have had Courts Throughout the country, say that private actors cannot force them to act as a nozzle so that the State promulgates the preferred message of the State. “
Netchoice sued the State for a law that it took earlier this month that social media companies required users notifying users about how their content recommended by algorithms. Taske says that, instead of forcing the convincing, subsequent warning labels, the State should educate minnesotanos about possible problems for young people who chose to use the sites.
“The Government has the ability to go and use its own voice, its own bully pulpit, its own pedestal to try to transmit its message,” says Taske. “The problem here is that you are trying to force private companies to spread a message for it.”
Except for a successful legal challenge, warning labels will enter into force on July 1, 2026.
If you or someone you know are considering committing suicide, call or send a text message to 988 to reach the direct suicide and crisis line.
