Earlier this year in California, two State Assembly members— Democrat Buffy Wicks and Republican Jordan Cunningham— introduced the California Age Appropriate Design Code Bill. The California Age Appropriate Design Code would place limitations on what companies can do with youth data, including tracking location and profiling. It puts limitations on manipulative design, and includes transparency measures so users are aware and consent to the use of their information. The bill makes the California attorney general responsible enforcement of the state’s rules, opening up the possibility of litigation or fines against companies that do not follow the Code. It would also require the California Privacy Protection Agency to create a Children’s Data Protection Task Force that would formulate recommendations on best practices.

A coalition of civil society and tech policy groups supports the Code, including organizations such as Common Sense Media, Accountable Tech, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the Sesame Workshop, the Consumer Federation of California, and the National Hispanic Media Coalition. Industry groups, such as TechNet and the California Chamber of Commerce, oppose the bill, and other experts have raised concerns in particular about requirements for age verification. The California State Assembly voted 72-0 to pass the bill, and it is now with the California Senate.

For this podcast, Tech Policy Press spoke to three people— all college students and activists— who support it, in part due to their own experiences:

Aliza Kopans, a rising sophomore at Brown University, cofounder of Technic(ally) Politics and an intern at Accountable Tech;
Emma Lembke, a rising sophomore at the Washington University in St. Louis, founder of the Log Off Movement, cofounder of Technic(ally) politics and an intern at Accountable Tech
Khoa-Nathan Ngo, rising college sophomore and a youth collaborator at GoodforMedia.

Young Advocates for California's Age Appropriate Design Code