Ilayda Cakirtekin
11 September 2026•Update: 11 September 2026
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed online child safety bills Thursday targeting platforms’ addictive features, according to the New York Times.
Newsom signed a bill that bans social media platforms from providing addictive features to users under the age of 16.
The bill is considered the first of its kind in the nation, offering some of the strongest online protections for young users in the US.
Newsom also signed a new law requiring artificial intelligence (AI) companies to inform young users that they are interacting with a chatbot rather than a human and restrict harmful content.
The measures are among a dozen digital safety laws that Newsom signed.
“California will not stand by while unregulated technology puts our children at risk,” he said in a statement. “Innovation comes with responsibility, and protecting our children comes first.”
California Assembly member Josh Lowenthal, who introduced the social media bill, said in an interview that they had passed a “tipping point” and that “it’s now an avalanche.”
Tech companies, who claim they had already introduced safety measures for young users, are expected to oppose the new California laws in court by citing violations of speech rights.
The more than a dozen bills that Newsom signed include measures to strengthen digital privacy protections for young people, broaden the legal definition of child sexual exploitation to cover digitally altered or AI-generated images, and revise existing child-safety design laws in response to court rulings.
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