(Washington, D.C.) – Ninth District Congresswoman Erin Houchin (R-IN) and Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) have issued a joint statement after a jury in Los Angeles found Meta and YouTube liable for social media addiction on Wednesday.
Houchin and Auchincloss are co-chairs of the Kids Online Safety Caucus.
“Today is a good day in the overdue effort to hold social media corporations accountable. Meta and YouTube tried to deny, deflect, and delay – but a jury heard the evidence and found them negligent in how they designed their apps for children.
“However, Congress must be clear-eyed about the limits of litigation. Going forward, the platforms will change their terms of service language and continue to hide their exploitation of children behind bad faith Section 230 defenses.
“Lawmakers must come together in a bipartisan effort to pass a federal age assurance law that raises the age of Internet adulthood to at least 16 years old and holds apps liable for adhering to it. We have the bills, we’re on the committee of jurisdiction, and we’re committed to working together to make it happen,” wrote Houchin and Auchincloss.
