Ban social media for kids? This Long Beach lawmaker says Australia is on to something

Roughly two decades after social media started growing in popularity, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory in 2023 raising the possibility that too much screen time might negatively impact a young person’s mental health.

Such concerns aren’t isolated to the United States; just last month, Australia became the first country to implement a social media ban for children under the age of 16.

Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, the co-sponsor of a proposed bipartisan bill...