Age of Consent in an Age of Discontent

<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW177214428 BCX4"> <p><span data-contrast="auto">A new California law signed by Governor Newsom on October 7 will enable strangers to lead children 12 and older on matters of mental health and their home life without requiring any parental consent. It’s a bizarre irony for a state that’s also</span> <a href= "https://roanoke.com/news/nation-world/government-politics/instagram-facebook-children-teens-harms-lawsuit-attorney-general/article_4623faa0-0c5b-5327-815e-3a90b57dd081.html"> <span data-contrast="none">suing the corporation Meta for harming children under age 13 through its social media platforms,</span></a> <span data-contrast="auto">based on the assumption that children are too vulnerable to resist the effects of social media. Evidently, children can’t resist their phones, but they should be able to make massive decisions about their minds, bodies, and family relationships without their parents’ consent.</span><span data-ccp-props= "{"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":0,"335559740":480}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">The new law,</span> <a href= "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB665"> <span data-contrast="none">Assembly Bill 665</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">, expands an existing law that only applied to minors aged 12 and older with private health insurance. The new law</span> <a href= "https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-california-bill-mental-health-youth-custody-628928834873#:~:text=The%20legislation%2C%20AB%20665%2C%20would%20amend%20an%20existing%20law%20that%20allows%20minors%2012%20and%20older%20to%20receive%20mental%20health%20counseling%20or%20therapy%20without%20parental%20consent.%20Currently%2C%20the%20law%20applies%20only%20to%20youth%20covered%20by%20private%20health%20insurance."> <span data-contrast="none">includes</span></a> <span data-contrast= "auto">minors aged 12 and older who are covered by publicly funded health insurance. Additionally, this new law broadens the list of prof