California enacts nation’s strongest safety laws for kids, social media, and AI chatbots
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the bill signings at a ceremony in San Francisco on Thursday.
Sept. 10, 2026 — “It’s a good day for our children,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed earlier today as he signed into law new restrictions on addictive social media, harmful interactions with chatbots, and some of the nation’s strongest online protections for kids.
The 13 new laws strengthen safeguards for companion chatbots, prohibit social media platforms from offering addictive features to users under 16, and expand privacy protections for children.
In a single ceremony, Newsom signed into law three of the most important child protection laws before legislators in Sacramento this year:
SB 1119, also known as Adam’s Law. It now stands as the most comprehensive kids AI chatbot safety law in the United States. The law was named after California teen Adam Raine, who lost his life in 2025 after being encouraged and coached in a variety of suicide techniques by ChatGPT. We have a full guide to the requirements of the new law here. (Sen. Padilla, Asm. Wicks, Asm. Bauer-Kahan)
AB 2 would make a social media platform liable for specified damages if the platform fails to exercise ordinary care or skill by causing injury to a child. (Asm. Lowenthal)
AB 1709 would require social media companies to offer platforms to kids under 16 that don’t include addictive features such as a personalized feeds and autoplaying videos. (Asm. Lowenthal)
High Priority Legislation: Protecting kids from chatbots
SB 1119, Adam’s Law, has been the Transparency Coalition’s highest priority measure in California this year. It builds on the foundation established in 2025 by SB 243, Sen. Steve Padilla’s groundbreaking chatbot safety law. That measure, the first of its kind in the nation, required chatbot operators to disclose that users are interacting with AI, and to maintain protocols for detecting and deterring conversations that veer into self-harm.
Since then, parents and child safety advocates have mounted a national movement to require much stronger guardrails for kids who interact with chatbots. Other states have enacted 14 chatbot safety laws so far in 2026, many of which surpass California’s SB 243.
Stoking the call for greater safety measures: This summer’s widely publicized social media addiction trials have exposed the harm built into products designed by the same companies that are now creating and selling AI chatbots to teens and adults.
With that in mind, Sen. Padilla worked with Asm. Buffy Wicks and Asm. Rebecca Bauer-Kahan to craft SB 1119 as a bill to meet the rising AI risks to kids.
A photo of Adam Raine, namesake of Adam’s Law (SB 1119), held at the signing ceremony today.
that’s not all: 10 more child protection bills signed
The governor also signed a sweeping portfolio of kids online protection bills into law today.
Those include:
AB 1856, which concerns age verification signals and software applications. (Asm. Wicks)
AB 1946, which concerns reporting mechanisms and digital child sexual abuse material. (Asm. Wicks)
AB 2246, which concerns online services, products, or features accessed by children. (Asm. Wicks)
AB 1159, which will apply the state’s student privacy protections (under KOPIPA and ELPIPA) to digital operators with knowledge that the site, service, app, etc, is used for and marketed for school purposes. (Asm. Addis)
AB 2071, which will require digital health to be taught as part of existing courses in health education in California schools. (Asm. Hoover, Sen. Umberg)
AB 302, which concerns student and parental communication, extracurricular activities, and addictive feeds. (Asm. Bauer-Kahan)
SB 1276, which concerns digital crimes and the sexual exploitation of a child. (Sen. Rubio)
SB 1128, which concerns technology-based materials and school-issued electronic devices. (Sen. Stern)
AB 2298, which concerns computer science content standards in public schools. (Asm. Irwin)
SB 867, which will prohibit the inclusion of companion chatbots in toys for a period of five years. (Sen. Padilla, et al)
