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Newsom signs new rules for kids’ social media and AI
California’s law adds chatbot safeguards and bars addictive social-media features for users under 16.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of California laws on children’s social-media and chatbot safety in Marin County on September 10, the governor’s office reported.
Newsom said the laws strengthen protections for children using online platforms and artificial intelligence1.
Rules for platforms
The chatbot rules come first. The governor’s office says Adam’s Law requires safeguards for children using companion chatbots, including crisis protocols for suicidal ideation, parental controls, and notifications if a child disables safety settings1. The office also says the law requires independent child-safety audits and annual risk assessments, which it calls a first in the country1.
Social media is next. The package bars platforms from giving users under 16 addictive features such as autoplay and feeds based on a user’s history and profile, according to the governor’s office1. It also restricts targeted advertising to children, regulates K-12 pupil data use in AI systems, and expands the definition of child sexual exploitation to cover digitally altered or AI-generated depictions of a person under 18 engaged in sexual conduct, the office says1.
Three bill numbers1 anchor the package. The governor’s office identifies SB 1119, by Sen. Steve Padilla and Assemblymembers Buffy Wicks and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, as addressing children’s safety and companion chatbots1. It identifies AB 1709, by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, as covering platforms, age restrictions and the e-Safety Advisory Commission1. It identifies AB 2246, by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, as addressing children’s access to online services, products or features1.
Parents must lead
Family Brief’s position is plain: children must be protected online, and parents, not technology companies or government officials, direct their children’s upbringing. Family Brief supports age-verification laws and strong default protections to protect children online. These safeguards put information where it belongs: with the parent. That is the right direction. California must ensure these rules keep parents informed and in charge. Protection that bypasses the parent is not protection the family asked for.
Newsom’s policy record
This package builds on earlier state action. The governor’s office says California had previously required platforms to provide age-verification signals and had prohibited platforms from knowingly providing an addictive feed to a minor without parental consent1. Newsom signed SB 53 in 2025, the office says, requiring frontier AI developers to disclose safety frameworks, report certain critical safety incidents to the state, and protect whistleblowers who report serious risks1. He has also called on the federal government to establish national AI regulations, according to his office1.