California Legislature Passes Ban on Addictive Social Media Features

The California State Legislature unanimously passed Assembly Bill 1709 on Monday, prohibiting social media platforms from providing addictive features to children under age 16. The law targets design elements such as infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithms, and notifications on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. To comply, platforms must either remove these features for minors or delete their accounts; failure to do so will result in financial civil penalties.

Authored by Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal, the bill establishes an independent e-safety advisory commission under the state attorney general's office to monitor evolving platform features. In a related move, the legislature passed Assembly Bill 2, which increases civil damages for child harm caused by platform negligence to $1 million or treble damages. If signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, the restrictions will take effect in January 2027.

Supporters, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and Common Sense Media, describe the legislation as a necessary response to a public health crisis. However, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has urged a veto, calling the bill a "massive privacy and free speech nightmare" due to concerns over age-verification and First Amendment rights.