California Enacts Social Media Feed and Chatbot Restrictions for Minors
Event Reviewed Automatically reviewed for factual accuracy, tone, and neutrality. Review does not check claims against cited sources. Last reviewed 20 October 2026.Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of child online safety bills, including AB 1709, which bars social media platforms from offering features such as personalized algorithmic feeds and autoplay to users under 16; AB 1856, which extends the state's operating-system age-bracket signals to users of all ages; and SB 1119, which sets safety requirements for AI companion chatbots used by children.
State limits engagement features for under-16 users and sets companion chatbot rules.
On 10 September 2026 Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills on children’s use of online services. Among these, AB 1709, by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, bars covered platforms from offering features the bill defines as addictive — including personalized algorithmic feeds, autoplay and push notifications — to users under 16. It creates an e-Safety Advisory Commission and allows civil penalties of up to $50,000 per affected minor. The bill passed the Legislature without a no vote. A separate bill, AB 2, makes large social media companies liable for damages when their platforms harm a child.
AB 1856, by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, amends the state’s Digital Age Assurance Act, enacted in 2025 as AB 1043, which requires operating systems to collect a user’s birth date or age at device setup and send apps a signal placing the user in one of four age brackets: under 13, 13 to 15, 16 to 17, or 18 and over. AB 1856 removes the original definition limiting a “user” to a child who is a device’s primary user, so that the signals cover users of all ages, and exempts open-source operating systems.
SB 1119, by Senator Steve Padilla and named Adam’s Law after California teenager Adam Raine, who died by suicide in 2025 after conversations with ChatGPT, sets requirements for operators of AI companion chatbots used by children: risk assessments, crisis protocols when a user expresses suicidal ideation, parental controls and in-app crisis resources, with independent audits beginning in 2029. A companion bill, SB 867, prohibits the sale of toys containing companion chatbots until 2031.
OpenAI said the chatbot law “pairs strong protections with continued access to useful AI tools.” The Electronic Frontier Foundation called AB 1709 “well-intentioned, but deeply flawed,” arguing that it would effectively bar younger users from platforms. Meta defended its tailoring of content for teenage users.
Sources
- 01.
Office of the Governor of California. Governor Newsom signs the strongest child safety chatbot and social media laws in the nation. (2026). Dated 10 September 2026. Lists the bills signed that day with their authors, including AB 1709 and AB 2 (Lowenthal), SB 1119 (Padilla, with Wicks and Bauer-Kahan), AB 1856, AB 1946 and AB 2246 (Wicks), and SB 867 (Padilla), and describes SB 1119, called Adam's Law, as requiring crisis protocols, parental controls and notifications for companion chatbots used by children.
- 02.
Lecher, C. (2026). California enacts laws restricting chatbots, protecting kids online. Published 10 September 2026. Source for AB 1709 requiring social media companies to stop offering features such as infinite scroll and autoplay to users under 16 or exclude them, SB 1119 being named after California teenager Adam Raine, AB 2 making platforms liable for damages when they harm a child, SB 867's moratorium on chatbot toys, OpenAI's statement of support for the chatbot law and the Electronic Frontier Foundation's description of AB 1709 as 'well-intentioned, but deeply flawed'.
- 03.
Myrow, R. (2026). Gov. Newsom Signs Sweeping New Rules for Online Child Safety. Published 10 September 2026. Corroborates the signing and AB 1709's bar on addictive engagement features for users under 16, which passed the Legislature without a no vote; source for SB 1119's risk-assessment, independent-audit, parental-control and crisis-support requirements, and for Meta's statement defending its tailoring of age-appropriate content for teens.
- 04.
Kelley Drye & Warren (Ad Law Access). California's 2026 Legislative Session Wraps: A Wave of Privacy and AI Bills Reaches the Governor, With Key Child Safety and AI Measures Signed Into Law. (2026). Published 14 September 2026. Source for AB 1709's list of addictive features (personalized algorithmic feeds, autoplay, push notifications), its e-Safety Advisory Commission and penalties of up to $50,000 per affected minor; AB 1856 amending the Digital Age Assurance Act (AB 1043, 2025), whose operating systems collect age at setup and signal one of four age brackets (under 13, 13-15, 16-17, 18+), by removing the definition limiting a 'user' to a child who is the primary device user so signals cover all ages, and by exempting open-source operating systems; SB 1119's core requirements taking effect 1 July 2027 and biennial audits from 1 January 2029; and SB 867's ban on companion chatbots in toys until 1 January 2031.
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