How will California’s new law restricting social media for kids work? | CA Politics 360
California will implement a new law in January that bans social media platforms from offering addictive features, such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and algorithm-driven “For You” feeds, to kids under the age of 16.
Democratic Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal, who wrote the law, and Republican Assemblyman Joe Patterson, who supported it, did a roundtable discussion on California Politics 360 to talk about how it will work once it takes effect.
The law prohibits platforms from offering features designed to keep children engaged for extended periods, such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and certain notifications. It also establishes an oversight body, the e-Safety Commission, to monitor platforms and provide guidance on necessary guardrails.
“The platforms themselves will no longer be able to offer harmful, addictive features,” Lowenthal said. He added that the e-Safety Commission will work with pediatric, scientific, and educational communities to ensure the law evolves alongside technology.
Patterson clarified that the law does not ban children from using social media but removes the addictive elements.
“Kids aren’t banned from being on social media. It’s the addictive features that keep them engaged,” he said. “Another way to say it is we’re not banning our children from accessing social media. We’re banning social media from accessing our children,” Lowenthal added.
It’s not clear how exactly the platforms will proceed. Lowenthal noted in the past that, they have sued over regulations.
The law also includes a companion bill, AB 2, which sets significant financial penalties for platforms that fail to comply and harm children. “Those damage levels for harm that’s proven in court… [are] $1 million per child or treble damages, whichever is higher,” Lowenthal said. Patterson noted that this measure ensures companies are held accountable, likening it to safety standards for other products like cars or bicycles.
The legislation also uses existing California laws to ensure age verification at the device level while maintaining user privacy. “The goal here is to not show government ID under almost any circumstance and to have age verification done at a robust level,” Lowenthal said.
If a parent believes that the addictive features are beneficial to their child, Lowenthal and Patterson confirmed this is not about parental controls and parents shouldn’t override the new rules.
“Whether your parents agree to it or not, it is just totally inappropriate for kids to have these harmful, addictive features,” Lowenthal said.
“You can’t monitor your children on social media all the time,” Patterson said. “My son just signed up for Instagram, actually, and we cannot monitor him at all times. We have all the screen controls. We have all those things together. And at the end of the day, you have to trust your child.”
Both lawmakers acknowledged the broader implications of technology, including artificial intelligence, and emphasized the need for proactive regulation. “Technology is evolving much faster than the pace that we can implement guardrails, and that causes people to be worried,” Lowenthal said.
Reflecting on the bipartisan effort, Patterson praised the collaborative process. “This legislation really is the product of feedback from all spectrums of the political world,” he said. Lowenthal added, “The population expects us to work together… Once you have trust with somebody, there’s nothing that you can’t do together.”
“The state of California is going to need to step up because the federal government is simply not addressing it under any circumstances,” he said. Lowenthal shared that his daughter had testified on similar bills in the past and expressed pride in the new law. “I think they’re happy with this legislation. Truly,” he said.
Patterson and Lowenthal noted their kids were proud and supportive of the new law. Patterson noted that his 13-year-old son supported the idea of age restrictions on social media.
“I think this is something kids are actually asking for,” he said.
KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.
