Overview
- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a 13‑bill package on Thursday that targets social media and AI tools used by minors and puts new enforcement powers and penalties on the state’s books.
- Assembly Bill 1709 bars children under 16 from access to behaviorally “addictive” features such as algorithmic personalized feeds, infinite scroll and autoplay unless platforms verify age and disable those features.
- Senate Bill 1119, known as Adam’s Law, requires chatbot makers to complete pre‑release child‑safety risk assessments, submit findings for independent audits, include parental controls, set protective defaults and offer in‑app crisis support.
- Lawmakers widened legal exposure for firms by authorizing civil penalties that can reach up to $1 million per child in some cases, expanded criminal coverage to include AI‑generated child sexual content, and imposed a multiyear ban on AI companion‑toy sales.
- The statutes take effect Jan. 1, 2027 and direct state agencies to write implementing rules and create an AI auditor registry, a process that industry groups praised in part, privacy advocates criticized, and legal observers expect will prompt court challenges.