🇺🇸 California Enacts 13 New Tech Laws Targeting Social Media, AI Chatbots to Protect Children

California has enacted a sweeping package of 13 technology laws aimed at protecting children from potentially harmful effects of social media, artificial intelligence and other digital platforms. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the measures into law on September 10, 2026, describing them as landmark reforms designed to strengthen protections for children in the rapidly changing digital environment. Among the most significant measures is a law restricting social-media platforms from providing users under 16 with features considered particularly addictive, including infinite scrolling, autoplay and certain algorithmically personalised feeds. The legislation also introduces stronger requirements for AI companion chatbots used by minors. AI Chatbots Face New Safety Requirements One of the most significant measures is SB 1119, known as Adam’s Law, which establishes a comprehensive regulatory framework for AI companion chatbots and children. Under the new law, chatbot operators must conduct risk assessments before launching new or substantially modified companion chatbots and implement safeguards designed to identify and respond to situations involving potential self-harm. The law also requires certain parental protections, including default restrictions on notifications, usage time and persistent conversational memory that can only be changed by a parent. Chatbot operators can also face liability for failing to take reasonable steps to prevent harmful outputs involving self-harm, sexually explicit content and emotionally manipulative interactions. Restrictions on Addictive Social-Media Features Another major measure targets the design of social-media platforms. Platforms will be restricted from offering children under 16 features such as infinite scroll and autoplay, which lawmakers argue can encourage prolonged and compulsive use. Some provisions also address algorithmically personalised content based on users' histories and profiles. Companies that fail to protect children can face significant financial penalties. Reuters reported that some of the new measures could expose large social-media companies to penalties of up to $1 million per child in certain circumstances involving harm. Stronger Protection Against AI-Generated Child Abuse Material California has also expanded protections against child sexual exploitation by strengthening laws covering digitally altered and AI-generated sexual depictions of minors. The move reflects growing concern that generative AI can be used to create abusive or exploitative material even when no real child was photographed in the creation of the image. California Takes Aim at AI Toys The new package also includes restrictions concerning toys equipped with AI chatbots, reflecting concerns about children forming potentially harmful relationships with conversational AI systems. The legislation represents a broader attempt to ensure that children's interaction with AI is subject to safety protections rather than being governed solely by existing technology-industry practices. Tech Industry and Civil Liberties Concerns While child-safety advocates welcomed the measures, technology companies and digital-rights organisations have raised concerns about privacy, free speech, personalisation and how some of the requirements will be enforced. Critics argue that restrictions on algorithmic features and age-based access could affect how young people use online communities and could create new privacy challenges surrounding age verification. Supporters, however, say the legislation is necessary because technology companies have moved faster than regulators in developing products capable of influencing children's behaviour and emotional wellbeing. A New Model for Technology Regulation California's measures could have implications far beyond the state. As home to many of the world's largest technology companies, California's regulations often become a model—or a source of debate—for lawmakers elsewhere in the United States and internationally. Governor Newsom's administration has presented the new laws as some of the country's strongest protections for children using social media and AI. The legislation signals a significant shift in the technology debate: policymakers are increasingly moving from voluntary safety measures toward mandatory rules governing how AI and social-media companies design and operate products used by children. Source: 🇺🇸 California Enacts 13 New Tech Laws Targeting Social Media, AI Chatbots to Protect Children