California has introduced sweeping new rules targeting addictive social media features and AI chatbots, as Governor Gavin Newsom promises stronger protections for children online.
California has adopted a package of laws targeting social media companies and artificial intelligence systems in an attempt to protect children from online harms.
Governor Gavin Newsom described the measures as “nation-leading”, with one law banning social media platforms from using features including infinite scrolling and autoplay for users under 16.
AB 1709 is intended to tackle what Newsom described as the engineering behind potentially addictive platforms, including algorithms and design features that encourage users to keep scrolling.
Newsom said: “This is about actually addressing the problem, the scrolling, the algorithms.”
The new laws also allow families to opt out of school-issued laptops and introduce requirements for AI chatbot companies to conduct risk assessments before launching products.
California will require companion chatbot providers to introduce parental controls and crisis protocols.
The legislation is named after Adam Raine, a teenager who took his own life last year and whose mother said a chatbot had “coached” him.
Maria Raine said parents had not understood the potential dangers of AI companionship when her son began using the technology.
The legislation also expands child sexual exploitation laws to cover digitally altered and AI-generated sexual imagery involving minors.
Companies found to have harmed children through their platforms could face fines of up to $1 million per child under the new measures.
Newsom said the laws come as governments around the world grapple with the risks posed by social media and increasingly capable AI systems.
Australia has already introduced a ban on social media for children under 16, while more than 40 countries are considering or implementing similar measures.
However, the package has attracted criticism from digital rights groups.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation said AB 1709 effectively amounts to a “functional ban on social media use” for under-16s and argued that restricting young people’s access to online communities could cause further harm.
Earlier this week, Newsom also signed legislation backed by Anthropic requiring California to establish a framework for independent organisations to assess AI safety risks and create a registry of AI auditors.
The latest measures come weeks after Meta agreed to an $18 billion settlement with California and other US states over allegations that its platforms harmed children.
Meta denied wrongdoing but agreed to introduce safeguards including daily usage limits and restrictions on night-time notifications for teenage users.
California introduces strict new legislation to protect children from social media and AI dangers
