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When the pandemic forced our world to come to a halt in 2020, my then-16-year-old daughter decided to use her time at home to improve her health and stay in shape.

She wasn性视界传媒檛 binge-watching TV or endlessly gaming. She was trying to better herself. She wanted what so many young people want: to feel confident, strong and healthy.

But instead of finding positive guidance, she stumbled into a digital trap. She turned to Instagram and TikTok, searching for terms like 性视界传媒渨orkouts,性视界传媒� 性视界传媒渉ealthy eating性视界传媒� and 性视界传媒済low-up.性视界传媒� In return, the platforms served her a stream of dangerous content, like 性视界传媒渢hinspiration,性视界传媒� videos promoting starvation and harmful, toxic challenges. In just days, her feed was flooded with pro-anorexia posts and extreme diet tips such as how to 性视界传媒渟tay under 500 calories a day性视界传媒� and disturbing mantras like how to be thin enough to 性视界传媒渇it into a baby swing.性视界传媒�

She never searched for this content specifically, but the platforms性视界传媒� algorithms aggressively pushed it on her.

What happened next was devastating, and a painful example of why we need Assembly Bill 2, an accountability measure currently circulating the state Capitol. She transformed from a vibrant, healthy, athletic teen to someone we didn性视界传媒檛 recognize. My daughter began secretly restricting food, exercising obsessively and spiraling into what would become a full-blown eating disorder.

Within three months, she was hospitalized with a dangerously low heart rate. Over the next year, she endured multiple cardiac events, dissociative panic attacks and inpatient stays at hospitals and treatment centers, including one six-month, out-of-state stay that came only after she was airlifted in critical condition.

Sadly, this story is nothing new. The tech giants that operate social media platforms, many of which are based in my backyard, Silicon Valley, are fully aware of the harm their platforms cause. Corporate whistleblowers have revealed internal research proving that 1 in 3 teenage girls reported that Instagram worsened their body image issues. Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy pushed for warning labels on social media because youth depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and self-harm have risen so dramatically as social media use increased.

An estimated 84% of teens use social media regularly. While it can be a tool for connection and learning, right now, it性视界传媒檚 too often a weapon of harm. These platforms are designed to be addictive and keep kids scrolling regardless of what they性视界传媒檙e seeing.

Big Tech cannot profit off the pain of our children without consequence.

AB 2 was authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, a Democrat from Long Beach, and offers a crucial step toward accountability. It strengthens California性视界传媒檚 existing negligence laws by adding serious financial penalties 性视界传媒� up to $1 million per child harmed 性视界传媒� for large social media companies if they性视界传媒檙e found liable for harms caused by their platform features. This includes harms that come from a company性视界传媒檚 failure to use ordinary care to protect young users, intentional or not.

This legislation will finally force companies to stop designing their platforms to exploit youth vulnerabilities. They性视界传媒檒l be incentivized to implement age-appropriate safety features, time limits, mental health resources and algorithm safeguards that prevent harmful content from being funneled to kids like my daughter.

She nearly lost her life. My daughter missed years of school, friendships and milestones because an algorithm decided that her desire to be 性视界传媒渉ealthy性视界传媒� was an opportunity to push toxic content.

AB 2 can help prevent this from happening to other families. California needs to enact it and send a clear message that our children are more important than a tech giant性视界传媒檚 profits.

Neveen Radwan works with the Eating Disorder Recovery Center and lives in San Jose.