Lawmakers Unveil New Bills to Curb Big Tech's Power and Profit

"Auchincloss has named the trio of bills the UnAnxious Generation package, in reference to Jonathan Haidt's bestselling book The Anxious Generation, which outlines the ways social media has transformed and degraded American childhood. Auchincloss says the package targets social media corporations' three prized assets: their legal immunity, the time teens spend on their apps, and the immense fortune they make from advertising to children. "I'm going directly at their jugular," he says."

"First, the bipartisan Deepfake Liability Act-cosponsored with Utah Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy- revises Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which provides broad immunity for digital platforms hosting user-generated content. The bill would make that immunity conditional on establishing a duty of care to address deepfake porn, cyberstalking, and digital forgeries. It also clarifies that AI-generated content is not covered under Section 230."

A three-bill UnAnxious Generation package would tighten oversight of social media platforms, expand safeguards for children, and tax advertising revenue to fund education initiatives. The package targets platforms' legal immunity, the time teenagers spend on apps, and the advertising fortunes generated from child-directed ads. The Deepfake Liability Act would revise Section 230 to condition immunity on an established duty of care addressing deepfake porn, cyberstalking, and digital forgeries and would clarify that AI-generated content is excluded from Section 230 protections. Current requirements under the Take It Down Act force removal of deepfake images and nonconsensual porn within 48 hours of a report. The proposed measures shift platform responsibility from reactive removal to proactive prevention.

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