The nation’s largest state is cracking down on tech companies in an attempt to protect children.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping package of 13 bills Thursday aimed at shielding children from potential dangers associated with social media, artificial intelligence, and other technology.
“I’m honored to be here, and I’m honored to be able to attach my signature to these bills today, and I am honored to represent a state with these remarkable representatives,” he said.
The new laws were passed with bipartisan support and will:
- Allow parents to opt out of school-issued laptops.
- Require social media platforms to eliminate addictive features, such as infinite scrolling, for users under 16.
- Add parental controls for chatbot technology.
- Ban toys containing AI companions.
The measures also include a $1 million fine per child for technology companies found guilty of harming children.
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“Talk about family values, protecting our kids, should be top of the list,” Newsom said.
The legislation is titled Adam’s Law, after 16-year-old Adam Raine, who died by suicide following alleged encouragement from ChatGPT.
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Adam’s father, Matt Raine, explained the relationship between his son and his chatbot to Congress last fall.
“What began as a homework helper gradually turned itself into a confidant, and then a suicide coach. Within a few months, ChatGPT became Adam’s closest companion. Always available. Always validating. And insisting that it knew Adam better than anyone else,” Raine told lawmakers.
On Thursday, the Raines celebrated the changes, including a provision allowing parents to exclude “persistent memory,” an AI feature that allows chatbots to remember previous conversations.
“Adam was an early adopter of AI, and so many of us parents did not understand the dangers back then. Now, we are all becoming more aware of the dangers of AI companionship and the need for our government to act,” said Maria Raine, an online safety advocate.
Critics say the technology laws are a “First Amendment nightmare” and point to mixed results from social media bans in other countries.
Australia, for example, has faced challenges enforcing its social media restrictions for young people, with reports showing many teens continue to access the platforms.
But Newsom and others say legal protections are necessary to protect children.
“These kids, they’re all figuring out a way to game that system. And you’re seeing that in the data in Australia; you’re seeing that in data in other countries that have done age gating. This is about the features themselves. This is about actually addressing the problem, the scrolling, the algorithms,” Newsom said.
The bills come at a time when Americans are demanding greater protections for children online.
A new study from Pew Research Center shows nearly six in 10 Americans support banning social media for children under 16.
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