California lawmakers push ahead with sweeping children's online privacy bill

A new children's online privacy bill is quickly making its way through the California state legislature and could lead to an overhaul of national safety standards for websites likely to be accessed by kids. 

The California Age-Appropriate Design Code would require social media platforms to switch off geolocation for children, discontinue "nudging" techniques that trick kids into giving up their information, reduce exposure to harmful content and limit the potential for risky connections with adults. 

Co-authored by Assembly members Buffy Wicks, a Democrat from Oakland, and Jordan Cunningham, a Republican from Templeton, the bill is modeled after a recently passed U.K. law. At a time when teenagers spend an average of 8.5 hours online each day, the bill would force social media companies to implement the strongest available safety settings by default for users under 18.