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Business News›News›International›Global Trends›California bans addictive social media features for under-16s, AI chatbot toys

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California bans addictive social media features for under-16s, AI chatbot toys
Synopsis

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed technology laws protecting children online. These measures restrict social media features designed for compulsive use. A four-year ban on AI companion chatbots in toys was also enacted. The legislation strengthens online privacy and parental controls for minors. These laws aim to ensure technology supports children's well-being.

AP

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping package of technology laws aimed at protecting children from online harms, including restrictions on social media features designed to drive compulsive use and a four-year ban on toys fitted with AI companion chatbots.



The 13 bills signed by Newsom also strengthen online privacy protections for minors, require additional safeguards and parental controls for chatbot programs, and expand criminal penalties for child sexual abuse material to cover digitally altered or AI-generated content depicting anyone under 18 engaged in sexual conduct.



Also Read: India shows that forcing teens off their phones isn’t always good

Newsom described the measures as the most far-reaching technology regulations of their kind in the United States. One of the laws, dubbed "Adam's Law", was named after Adam Raine, a 16-year-old boy who died by suicide in April 2025 after, according to his parents, acting on suicidal thoughts that were validated during months of conversations with OpenAI's ChatGPT.



OpenAI has said it plans to strengthen ChatGPT's safeguards, acknowledging that protections became "less reliable" as conversations with users grew longer.




"We want our children – and every California kid – to grow up in a world where technology supports their wellbeing, rather than exploits their vulnerabilities," Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement announcing the measures.

California, home to major technology companies including Google, Meta Platforms and Snap, joins a growing number of US states seeking to curb business practices that critics say are designed to keep teenagers hooked on social media despite concerns over the impact of heavy use on young people's mental health.

The measures have attracted broad bipartisan backing, although civil liberties groups have criticised them as excessive. The Electronic Frontier Foundation called the legislation "a massive privacy and free speech nightmare", arguing that it could unnecessarily restrict young people's access to the internet.



Utah was the first US state to enact laws regulating children's access to social media, with Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio, Texas, Florida and New York among those that have since adopted their own measures, though the approaches differ.

Targeting features that drive compulsive use

California's Assembly Bill 1709 bars social media platforms from exposing children under 16 to a range of "psychologically exploitative features intended to maximize engagement that foreseeably lead to compulsive use."



The restrictions cover features such as infinite scrolling and algorithmic autoplay, with additional features to be identified through future regulations.



The legislation comes as technology companies face mounting legal and political pressure over how their platforms are designed and marketed to young users. Companies have also shown greater willingness to accept restrictions as lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny intensify.



Also Read: Growing list of countries move to ban social media for children



Meta agreed three weeks ago to pay as much as $18 billion over the next decade and impose tighter limits on how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram under a settlement with nearly all US states. The deal seeks to resolve civil claims that the company deliberately designed its platforms to be addictive to children.

AI toys and chatbot safeguards

Another California measure prohibits the manufacture and sale of toys equipped with companion chatbots for the next four years.



A related law requires chatbot programs to include parental controls and undergo additional safety and risk assessments, extending the state's scrutiny beyond conventional social media platforms to AI-powered products that interact directly with children.



The package also targets the growing use of artificial intelligence in illegal material. One measure expands criminal sanctions covering child sexual abuse material to include digitally altered or AI-generated depictions of people under 18 engaged in sexual conduct.



The laws reflect a broader push by governments to limit children's exposure to technology products and features considered potentially harmful.



Countries outside the US have taken similar steps. Australia, for example, has moved to bar children under 16 from using social media platforms.



California's legislation places the state, and its powerful technology industry, at the centre of that growing regulatory push.

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California social media lawschild online safety regulationsGovernor Gavin Newsomyouth mental health and technologyAI chatbot toy banCalifornia technology regulationsonline privacy protections minorspsychologically exploitative features

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