LINCOLN- Nebraska lawmakers gave first-round approval Tuesday to a proposed law that would require social media companies to change how they design their platforms to shield children from harm. The proposal, part of Republican Gov. Jim Pillen's larger policy agenda aimed at reducing youths' exposure to online harms, would require social media companies to consider harm prevention and mitigation when designing platform features meant to keep users online — including traits like push notifications and "infinite scroll" that are commonplace on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

The Legislature voted 38-0 to advance the sweeping proposal to the second round of debate Tuesday after nearly four hours of debate across two days, during which opponents raised questions over the bill's potential unconstitutionality but pledged to work with its sponsor, Sen. Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln, to alleviate concerns. Introduced by Bosn at Pillen's request, the bill (LB504) would require social media companies to design such features to mitigate a host of risks minors face online, including mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders, as well as compulsive social media use, sexual exploitation, the promotion of drug use and deceptive marketing practices.

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