Statement on the CA Senate Passage of AB 1394 to Hold Social Media Platforms Accountable for Child Sex Trafficking
SAN FRANCISCO, September 12, 2023— Today, the CA State Senate passed a critical bill to address the soaring rates of child sexual exploitation and child sex trafficking online. AB 1394, authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and sponsored by Common Sense Media, the Children's Advocacy Institute, and other groups, will now proceed to Governor Newsom's desk for signature. Jim Steyer, Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, issued the following statement after the vote.
"Despite many attempts by big tech lobbying organizations to stop or water down this legislation, the California Senate did the right thing today, taking a hugely important step to help stamp out the insidious and deeply harmful problem of online child sex trafficking.
"Thank you to Assemblymember Wicks, the Children's Advocacy Institute, AAUW CA, #HalftheStory Project, and Jewish Family and Children's Services for prioritizing child safety at a time when kids and teens are most vulnerable. We urge Governor Newsom to swiftly sign AB 1394 into law and send a strong message to other states and to tech platforms that using the internet to sexually exploit children will simply not be tolerated."
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