Bill Addressing Cyberbullying, School Fight Pages Advances to Senate Floor for Vote

Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌ ‌|‌ ‌California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌ Sen. Henry Stern (CBM) – On May 16, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 5-0 to advance legislation that would require social media platforms to report cyberbullying incidents and remove posts depicting youth violenceonline. Senate Bill (SB) 1504, titled “Cyberbullying Reporting and Accountability,” “addresses the online safety for youth,” said the bill’s author Sen. Henry Stern (D-Calabasas). “We must do everything in our power to protect our children from the dangers of social media,” Stern said. “By establishing a mandatory process for removing and blocking cyberbullying material and providing transparency to survivors and parents, we aim to create a safer online environment for all.” Senators Brian Jones (R-San Diego) and Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta) abstained from voting. California Legislative Vice Chair Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood) was one of five Democrats who voted for the bill. It now moves to the Senate floor for a full vote.& & SB 1504 is designed to make social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and others “respond compassionately and predictably” to reports of cyberbullying or they must explain why the content is “aligned with their platform’s policies,” Sen. Stern said at a& May 14 news conference in front...