California enacts laws restricting chatbots and banning teens from ‘addictive’ social media

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a set of bills to protect children online. Two of the most prominent laws target addictive social media and AI chatbots. The social media law requires companies to either stop offering "addictive" features like infinite scroll and autoplay to users under 16 or ban them from their platforms, aiming to address a teenage mental health crisis. The chatbot law, named after Adam Raine, a teen who died by suicide, imposes time limits for minors, requires built-in mental health resources, and mandates operators alert parents if self-harm is detected. Other laws make social media companies liable for harming children, expand age-checking, and place a moratorium on AI chatbot toys for kids under 16. These laws come amid growing concern over technology's impact on youth mental health and follow a major legal settlement where Meta agreed to pay up to $17 billion for allegedly damaging teens' mental health.

(Source：CalMatters)