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‘Superhighways for Child Sexual Abuse’: California Lawmakers Seek Tougher Rules for Big Tech
Frustrated with what they describe as a lack of accountability from social media companies, two California state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would clear a legal pathway for them to face lawsuits in the state for failing to detect or remove child sexual abuse material on their websites and apps.
Assembly members Maggy Krell and Buffy Wicks, both Democrats, said they are spurred by witnessing how online exploitation is inflicting “profound trauma on a staggering number of children,” in an interview with the Guardian.
The move follows two landmark trial verdicts in California and New Mexico in March, in which Meta and YouTube were found liable for harm inflicted on children. With more lawsuits in the pipeline, states across the country are working to increase legal accountability for tech giants over harms against children committed through their sites and apps.
Study Finds Children in the US Die at Higher Rates Than Peers in Other High-Income Nations
At every age, children in the United States die at higher rates than peers in other high-income nations, according to a new study from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Findings from the study were presented during the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2026 Meeting, taking place April 24–27 in Boston.
The study found that the U.S. mortality disadvantage emerged as early as 1952 among older adolescents and has persisted for more than five decades. While both the U.S. and peer nations made dramatic gains over the 20th century, peer nations improved at a faster pace — particularly in the postwar decades.
By 2023, the gap was largest among 15- to 19-year-olds, with males in that age group accounting for nearly one-third of excess U.S. child deaths. Between 1975 and 2023, the U.S. experienced approximately 800,000 excess child deaths compared to peer nations — equivalent to roughly 45 excess child deaths every day.
Governor Lamont’s Vaccine Bill HB 5044 Gets Final Passage in CT Senate
Connecticut Democrats flexed their majority muscles on Thursday evening, giving final passage to a fiercely debated vaccine bill with over a week still left to go in the legislative session.
The uncharacteristically early 22-12 Senate vote came just two days after the House voted 89-60 in favor of the bill.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said the chamber took it up so quickly because of the critical need for the state to address the alarming public health changes at the federal level.
The proposal, backed by Gov. Ned Lamont, would expand the power of the state’s Public Health Commissioner to establish vaccine recommendations for both adults and children, guarantee insurance coverage of recommended shots and allow the agency to purchase doses from sources other than the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Norway Plans to Ban Social Media Use by Children Under 16
Norway said on Friday it would present a bill in parliament by year-end to ban children from using social media until they turn 16, making technology companies responsible for the task of age verification.
Several European nations are seeking to rein in children’s use of social media after Australia took the lead with a world-first ban on under-16s last December.
“We are introducing this legislation because we want a childhood where children get to be children,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement.
“Play, friendships, and everyday life must not be taken over by algorithms and screens. This is an important measure to safeguard children’s digital lives.”
UCSD Marijuana Study Affirms Drug’s Negative Effect on Youth
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported:
A new UC San Diego study strengthens the growing body of evidence that marijuana use impacts adolescent brain development.
Researchers observed slower gains in cognitive tests that measured memory, focus and thinking speed among middle and high school-age kids who used cannabis when compared to those who abstained.
Scheduled for publication online Monday in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, the study analyzes how 11,000 kids across the nation enrolled in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, a $440 million effort that the National Institutes of Health calls “the largest long-term study of brain development and child health ever conducted in the United States.”
Annual testing started in 2016 when participants were nine or 10 years old, finishing its initial decade-long collection period at 21 sites nationwide this fall. UCSD is the program’s nationwide coordinator and one of its most active hubs, with 740 local enrollees.
