They aim to protect minors, but these rules are not universally accepted.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed several measures aimed at protecting the state’s youth. These new laws include restrictions on potentially addictive social media features and limitations on how young users can interact with AI chatbots.
The state places restrictions on how teens can interact with AI companies’ chatbots, including time limits. Chatbot creators will be required to implement mental health resources, safety protocols in case a minor discusses self-harm, and notifications to parents if a child turns off safety settings. California will now require “independent child safety audits and annual risk assessments” by AI companies. AI companies could be held liable under these rules if they fail to comply with the new rules. Today’s developments follow measures Newsom signed yesterday that created broader frameworks to audit AI companies for compliance with California law.
One of the most controversial measures Newsom passed focuses on teens’ use of social media. The state now prohibits social media companies from allowing users under 16 to access “potentially addictive features.” The bill’s definition of “addictive” includes broad capabilities ranging from automatic video playback to notifications to personalized content feeds driven by algorithms.
Critics such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation have called the measure a functional ban on social media for teens. “Denying minors access to digital forums – or removing the basic tools needed to navigate them – will not help make young people safer or healthier in the age of AI,” said Rindala Alajaji, EFF deputy director of state affairs. The organization added that enforcing this policy would also require all social media users to disclose more personal information to prove their age, creating additional privacy risks. This is one of the arguments that many parties have long made against further age verification laws.
Newsom signed additional measures with similar goals of protecting young people from potentially risky technology applications. These include an expanded definition of child sexual exploitation to include generative images created by AI or digitally altered. Another bill provides new protections against targeted advertising and regulates AI systems’ use of data on K-12 students.
