California Signs 13 AI and Social Media Child-Safety Bills Into Law

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Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of 13 child-safety bills on Thursday, targeting AI chatbots and social media platforms in what analysts describe as the most comprehensive state-level package of its kind in the US. The centerpiece bill, SB 1119, requires AI chatbot operators to implement parental controls, notify parents if safety settings are disabled, and route conversations about suicide or self-harm to real crisis resources. A separate bill, AB 1709, becomes the first US law to ban addictive features such as infinite scroll and autoplay video for users under 16, drawing pushback from Meta. Financial penalties under AB 2 can reach up to $1 million per child harmed through platform negligence, while other bills expand the legal definition of child sexual exploitation to cover AI-generated imagery and strengthen children's data privacy. Newsom also signed Anthropic-backed legislation establishing an independent auditing system for AI model safety, complete with a registry of financially independent reviewers.

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