California governor signs law to limit children's social media risks

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a series of laws on Thursday aimed at enhancing children's safety in the digital world, including one specifically targeting social media platforms. According to Newsom, this new legislation is "better" than Australia's recent ban on social media use for all users under 16. The California law focuses on the underlying design aspects of social media, such as addictive features like infinite scroll, algorithmic recommendations, and autoplay, rather than simply setting an age limit.

Australia's law, which came into effect in December, has reportedly faced challenges in enforcing the ban, with many children still accessing social media. California's approach allows social media companies to continue operating but prohibits the provision of addictive features to users under 16. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has already committed to implementing similar measures as part of a legal settlement.

Other tech giants, including Snap, TikTok, and Google's YouTube, have not yet responded to inquiries about their plans. Newsom's new laws also address other aspects of children's online safety, such as chatbots, age verification, and technology use in schools. Globally, regulators are exploring various strategies to mitigate the potential negative effects of social media on young users.

The European Union is set to unveil its own regulatory plan next week, with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen advocating for stricter limits on social media design for children under 13, or even a ban for those under 15, an idea supported by an expert panel.