Sammy's Law is designed to address significant concerns about children's exposure to dangers such as cyberbullying, human trafficking, and other forms of exploitation facilitated through social media. By requiring large platforms to facilitate transparency and monitoring, the law seeks to shift some regulatory responsibilities onto these service providers, thereby empowering parents to access necessary tools to protect their children. However, the bill also stipulates that if social media platforms adequately comply with the law, they will be insulated from civil liability regarding data transfers made to third-party safety providers.
SB3324, known as Sammy's Law of 2024, aims to enhance child safety on large social media platforms by establishing protocols for monitoring and protecting children from online threats. The law mandates that large social media platform providers create and maintain a set of real-time application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow third-party safety software providers to oversee children's online interactions and account settings. Parents or guardians can delegate permission for third-party access, enabling these providers to secure user data transfer for safeguarding purposes. The law will take effect on June 1, 2025, with a registration requirement for platforms meeting certain criteria.
While the goals of SB3324 are widely recognized as noble, the bill faces potential contention around its implementation and the balance between child protection and data privacy. Critics may argue that the requirements may create burdensome compliance processes for social media companies, particularly regarding the management of user consent and data privacy. Moreover, the effectiveness of relying on third-party safety software providers to monitor and disclose sensitive information regarding child users can provoke debate about the adequacy of oversight and the potential misuse of the data accessed through these APIs.