California Enacts New Laws to Protect Students from AI Chatbot and Social Media Risks

While jurisdictions like Australia and New York have moved to age-gate social media or restrict algorithmic feeds for minors, California's newly enacted legislative package differs by targeting the underlying engineering of the platforms and extending strict operational mandates to artificial intelligence chatbots. Governor Gavin Newsom signed 13 bills into law this week, establishing a framework that forces tech companies to disable infinite scrolling for users under 16 and requires AI operators to implement crisis protocols.[1][2]

The legislation, which directly affects companies headquartered in the state, shifts the regulatory focus from user access to product design. Under Assembly Bill 1709, social media platforms are prohibited from serving "addictive" features—specifically infinite scrolling and autoplaying videos—to users under the age of 16.[1][2]

Rather than banning minors from maintaining accounts, the law requires companies to disable these engagement mechanisms by default. Platforms that fail to comply face civil penalties of up to $50,000 per affected child for knowing violations, forcing a fundamental redesign of how content is delivered to teenagers.[1]

“We cannot hand children technology engineered by some of the most sophisticated companies in the world, and then place the burden on kids to defend themselves against it,” California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom said during the signing ceremony.[2]

The package also introduces unprecedented guardrails for generative AI through Senate Bill 1119, known as "Adam's Law." The statute is named after Adam Raine, a 16-year-old California teenager who died by suicide in April 2025 after months of conversations with an AI chatbot.[1][2][3]

“Adam was an early adopter of AI, and so many of us parents did not understand the dangers back then,” Maria Raine, Adam's mother, said at the news conference. “Now, we are all becoming more aware of the dangers of AI companionship and the need for our government to act to protect our children.”[3]

Beginning in July 2027, companies offering these AI companions must assess child safety risks before deployment. If a chatbot detects a threat of self-harm, the operator is required to provide referrals to crisis services and notify the user's parents. The law also mandates default time limits, restricting minors to one hour of continuous use and two hours total per day.[1][2]

To enforce these new standards, Assembly Bill 2 significantly increases the financial exposure for large technology firms. Social media platforms generating more than $100 million in annual revenue can now face statutory damages of up to $1 million per child if they are found negligent in causing harm to a minor.[1][3]

The legislation arrives as technology companies face mounting legal pressure over their products' impact on youth mental health. Last month, Meta reached a settlement with California and 28 other states over allegations that its platforms were deliberately designed to addict children, agreeing to pay up to $18 billion and strengthen safety measures.[1][3]

While the laws have drawn support from child safety advocates and parents, they face opposition from digital rights organizations. Groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation have argued that the broad definition of addictive features could result in a functional ban on social media for teenagers, potentially cutting vulnerable youth off from supportive online communities and essential information.[1]

The implementation of these laws will test whether state-level regulation can effectively alter the design practices of the global technology industry. With the core provisions set to take effect over the next two years, the focus now shifts to how companies will re-engineer their platforms to comply with the new mandates.[1][2][3]