AB 2481: Social media-related threats: reporting.

The Cyberbullying Protection Act requires a social media platform to disclose all cyberbullying reporting procedures in the social media platforms terms of service and to establish a mechanism within its internet-based service that allows an individual, whether or not that individual has a profile on the internet-based service, to report cyberbullying or any content that violates the existing terms of service. Existing law requires the reporting mechanism to allow, but not require, an individual to upload a screenshot of the content that contains cyberbullying or violates the terms of service.

This bill would, beginning January 1, 2026, require a social media platform to disclose all social media-related threat reporting procedures for certain verified reporters in the social media platforms terms of service. The bill would define social media-related threat to mean content posted on a social media platform that promotes, incites, facilitates, or perpetrates any of certain things, including cyberbullying, suicide, and drug trafficking.

This bill would require a large social media platform, as defined, to, among other things, create a process to verify certain individuals as verified reporters, including a school principal, as specified. The bill would require require, in addition to any other reporting mechanism required by state law, a large social media platform to create a process by which a verified reporter can make a report of a social media-related threat or a violation of the large social media platforms terms of service that in the verified reporters opinion poses a risk or a severe risk to the health and safety of a minor. The bill would require a large social media platform that receives a report from a verified reporter to, on a publicly accessible internet website, report annually on, among other things, the total number of reports from a verified reporter received for the calendar year.