SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sophie Szew keeps herself busy. She’s a writer, poet and adviser all while attending Stanford University. Although her most important role is serving as a change maker for youth mental health.

What You Need To Know

  • Sophie Szew said she was diagnosed with anorexia after being bombarded with unhealthy content through social media

  • Szew works for the National Alliance on Mental Illness and used to be on the youth advisory board for Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation

  • Szew is a supporter of SB 287, a bill that aims to hold social media companies accountable for using algorithms to influence children's behavior

  • Opposition to the bill argues it puts too much of a burden on social media companies and violates the First Amendment

On Szew’s 10th birthday, she joined her friends in downloading Instagram. However, almost immediately, she was bombarded with content promoting eating disorders.

“I’m talking about step-by-step regimens on how to starve myself to death. I do not think that I would’ve gotten to the point that I got to without having seen those images as a 10-year-old,” Szew said.

Social media’s push of unhealthy eating habits continued having an influence on Szew’s life when she started high school. Ultimately, the influence reached a dangerous point when she was diagnosed with anorexia and was given only a few weeks to live because of multiple organ failure.

Szew worked through her diagnosis and made a full recovery. She now uses her personal experience to help guide her current work as a mental health advocate.

“I really do believe that I survived what I survived in order to advocate, and I feel like I owe it to the world, and I owe it to my younger self to make sure that no one ever has to go through something like that ever again,” Szew said.

Now serving as a mental health advocate, Szew has helped people in her community with the same issues she went through.

She also advocates for legislative changes in both federal and state policies. Last year, she was given the opportunity to speak with President Joe Biden to talk about the issue on a national level.

“I looked him in the eyes when I said, ‘Mr. President, thank you for having us here today. Thank you for giving a voice to young people. I think this is really important. I said, four years ago today, I sat across from my doctor at UCLA’s eating disorder unit and he told me that I had about two weeks to live because my heart, my liver and my kidneys were all failing but my BMI was completely normal so there’s nothing they could do for me and I’m one of millions of young people that have gone through an experience like this,’” Szew said.

She adds the president hugged her and, with tears in his eyes, promised change.

For California policy, Szew has been a strong supporter of Senate Bill 287, a bill designed to hold social media companies accountable for creating algorithms that influence children’s behavior.

“It’s accountability. We’re not taking a direct hit at their product. We are not going to abolish Instagram. We’re not going to abolish Meta with this. All that we’re gonna do is hold these companies accountable,” Szew said.

The bill would fine companies like Meta or TikTok $250,000 for using algorithms deemed harmful to children.

Examples of violations include algorithms that influence children to purchase a controlled substance such as fentanyl, inflict harm on themselves or others, develop an eating disorder, commit suicide, purchase a firearm or cause them to become addicted to the social media platform.

A similar bill version of the bill died last year. However, State Sen. Nancy Skinner, the bill’s author, has accepted multiple amendments to help get it through the process. 

“What this bill’s purpose is, is to address the fact that study after study is indicating that the algorithms that certain of our social media platforms are using are harming our children,” Skinner said at a recent Senate Judiciary Committee meeting.

Social media companies would avoid any potential fines if they perform quarterly audits and correct any design or algorithm which is found to be in violation.

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Although SB 287 has passed through the legislative process with bipartisan support, opposition groups argue the bill would put too much of a burden on social media companies.

“We’re not opposed to accountability. We’re not opposed to being partners in working on these issues. It just can’t come in the form of liability for content and content serving features online that infringe upon first amendment principles,” said Dylan Hoffman, the California executive director for Technet, a technology legislative advocacy group.

Although Szew thinks the opposition isn’t fully grasping the harms the algorithms are causing young people. Criticizing social media companies for prioritizing profits over people’s well-being.

“You would never put a car out there without seatbelts so why would you put out social media platforms without any kind of safety rails to make sure that young people don’t fall through the cracks and into addiction and mental health challenges,” Szew said.

SB 287 still faces one more vote on the Senate floor before it can be sent to the Assembly.

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