California has enacted two laws that change what minors can see and do online, part of a package of 13 bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed to address children's use of technology. The measures are separate, and they do different things.
The first, Assembly Bill 1709, prohibits social media platforms from providing users under 16 with features the law describes as psychologically exploitative and designed to maximize engagement, including infinite scroll and algorithmic autoplay, with further features to be defined in regulation. The second covers AI companion chatbots and requires operators to assess the risks their products pose to children, document what they find and submit the results to an independent auditor, alongside parental controls and in-app crisis support.
