California passes suite of bills advancing child online-safety push

The four bills are as follows:

1. AB 1709 (addictive design features): AB 1709 requires social media companies to show users under the age of 16 a stripped-down version of their products, removing addictive feeds, autoplay and other features designed to maximise engagement. It also establishes an e-Safety Advisory Commission within the California Department of Justice to advise the state on future digital safety policy and report to the legislature annually.
2. AB 2246 (children’s data and privacy): Referred to as the Youth Social Media Protection Act, AB 2246 requires online services “likely to be accessed by children” to provide privacy and safety defaults that limit profiling, collection of precise geolocation data, and dark patterns that encourage children to surrender personal information or forego privacy protections. For further information on AB 2246, please see our blog post on the package of privacy bills). 
3. AB 1856 (age assurance): AB 1856 expands the age-bracketing regime established by last year’s AB 1043, clarifying that the framework applies only to operating systems with an account setup feature and to the primary user of a shared device. Following opposition from privacy advocates, the bill was amended to exempt open-source developers from the age-signalling framework. 
4. AB 2 (enhanced damages): AB 2 allows parents to seek up to USD1 million in enhanced damages from large social media companies for negligently harming children, where that negligence is proven in court. 

Governor Gavin Newsom signed each bill into law on September 10, 2026. The package may apply direct financial and legal pressure on social media companies and begin tying together the legislature’s previously targeted efforts into a more cohesive online safety framework.

For more information, see the press release from the Governor of California.