Key facts
- California Governor Gavin Newsom signed new tech company restrictions into law on Thursday.
- The laws bar children under 16 from exposure to behaviorally addictive social media features.
- Toys containing AI companion chatbots are banned.
- New regulations expand criminal sanctions for digitally altered or AI-generated child sexual abuse material.
- California's Assembly Bill 1709 prohibits 'psychologically exploitative features' designed to maximize engagement and lead to compulsive use.
- Meta agreed to pay as much as $18 billion over 10 years to resolve claims of addicting children to its platforms.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law on Thursday a package of 13 bills aimed at protecting young people from technology, including new restrictions on social media platforms and a ban on AI companion chatbots in toys. The measures target features deemed psychologically exploitative and designed to maximize engagement, potentially leading to compulsive use, for children under 16.
One of the key provisions, dubbed 'Adam's Law' in memory of a 16-year-old who died by suicide after interacting with OpenAI's ChatGPT, prohibits exposure to addictive social media features such as infinite-scroll feeds and algorithmic autoplay. OpenAI has acknowledged that its safeguards for ChatGPT became less reliable with prolonged user interactions.
Another bill expands criminal sanctions to include digitally altered or AI-generated content depicting minors under 18 in sexual conduct. Furthermore, the manufacture and sale of toys with companion chatbots will be banned for four years, with related measures requiring parental controls and safety assessments for chatbot programs.
Newsom stated that the regulations are the most far-reaching of their kind in the nation, aiming to ensure technology supports children's well-being rather than exploiting their vulnerabilities. California joins other U.S. states like Utah, Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio, Texas, Florida, and New York in enacting laws to curb children's social media use, though approaches vary. Australia also has a ban on social media for children under 16.
While the legislation garnered bipartisan support, some critics, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, voiced concerns about privacy and free speech implications. The new laws come as Big Tech companies face increasing legal challenges, with Meta agreeing to pay as much as $18 billion over the next decade to settle civil claims that its platforms were designed to addict children.