2 CA bills aim to make teaching social media literacy mandatory for K-12 students

SAN FRANCISCO -- Two California assembly bills would make teaching media literacy in the classroom mandatory.

Assemblyman Marc Berman from Menlo Park wants to make teaching media literacy mandatory in California schools. Texas, New Jersey, and Delaware already do.

The idea is for students to know what stories are fake on social media. A 2020 survey conducted by Common Sense Media found many can't tell the difference.

VIDEO: CA school district files federal lawsuit against social media companies for adverse effects on kids

According to the lawsuit, the district wants the platforms to help pay for the costs spent addressing and reversing the harm done by social media.

There are complaints that schools have been dealing with the effects of fake news, cyberbullying and hate speech through social media.

Last March, the San Mateo Office of Education filed a lawsuit in federal court against media platforms like YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok, to try to force them to address and reverse the harm done to students.

Another assembly bill, sponsored by Jesse Gabriel would also survey schools on how they teach media literacy, if at all. His bill always seeks input from teachers, tech experts and researchers.

Berman's bill which is AB 873 passed in the assembly, now it's before the Senate Education Committee. The goal is to teach social media literacy in schools beginning in 2025.