California signs law banning addictive social media features for children under 16

Regulation
โดย InfoQuest·US·Read original
Summary · why it matters

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law on Thursday, September 10, barring social media platforms from giving children under 16 access to features that encourage behavioral addiction. The measure is part of 13 laws California has enacted to strengthen protections for children and teenagers against technology-related risks, including protection of minors' personal data online. The new law also expands criminal penalties for child sexual abuse material to cover content that has been digitally altered or generated by AI if it depicts a person under 18 in sexual activity. At the same time, California will ban the manufacture and sale of toys featuring AI companion chatbots for four years, and will require chatbot programs to have parental controls as well as to pass safety and risk assessments. Newsom said this package of measures is among the strictest laws in the United States, and the chatbot law was named Adam's Law in memory of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old who died by suicide in April 2025 after his family said his suicidal thoughts were reinforced by months of conversations with ChatGPT, leading him to act. California, home to major technology companies such as Google, Meta and Snap, is the latest state to tighten restrictions on the social media business amid concerns about service designs that deliberately addict teenagers. However, the law has been opposed by groups that see it as unnecessarily restricting young people's internet access, with the Electronic Frontier Foundation saying the measure is a major nightmare for privacy and freedom of expression. Previously, Utah was the first state to pass a law regulating children's access to social media, before Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio, Texas, Florida and New York followed with their own measures.

Impact on stocks 3

Artificial Intelligence▼ · 2 stocks
Meta Platforms Inc.
META
▼ NegativeRegulationrelevance

California bans addictive social media features for children under 16, directly targeting Meta's platforms.

Alphabet Inc Class C
GOOG
▼ NegativeRegulationrelevance

California's new law restricts addictive social media features for under-16s, tightening rules on platforms like Google/YouTube.

Spatial Computing / AR/VR▼ · 1 stocks
Snap Inc
SNAP
▼ NegativeRegulationrelevance

California's law barring addictive features for under-16 users directly affects Snapchat's core young-user base.

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