California’s Newsom signs online kid safety laws, including rules backed by Sam Altman
The new state laws come amid rising concern that social media and AI pose health risks to children.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a series of legislation on Thursday aimed at enhancing online child safety, including measures backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The bills, which have been called "nation-leading guardrails," were designed to shield young people from potential risks associated with unregulated social media and AI use.
One of the laws, SB 1119, requires AI chatbots to verify users' ages and limits kids' exposure to harmful content, with the bill named after a teen who died by suicide after extensive conversations with ChatGPT. The legislation also prohibits teens under 16 from accessing certain "addictive" social media features. Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, criticized the current federal government's lack of leadership in tech regulation, calling it an "abomination."
The state's approach to tech regulation differs from those in countries like Australia and Malaysia. Tech giants such as Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok have either not publicly supported or opposed the bill, but they have lobbied on it.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
