California governor signs law to limit children's social media risks
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation prohibiting social media companies from using addictive features like infinite scroll and algorithmic recommendations for users under 16. The law focuses on engineering and design rather than a total age-based ban, distinguishing it from recent Australian efforts.
Why it matters
This represents a significant shift in digital regulation, moving from age-gating to mandating changes in how social media platforms are architected for younger users.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed more than a dozen new laws on Thursday that address various aspects of children's safety online, including one that prohibits social media companies from serving addictive features to users under 16 years old.
During a signing ceremony held near San Francisco, Newsom described the state's new social media restrictions for children as "better" than Australia's ban for all users under 16.
"This is different than what Australia did," Newsom said.
"This is about the features themselves. This is about actually addressing the problem, the scrolling, the algorithms. This is about addressing the substantive issue around the engineering. If you address that, then the age issue is not the essential issue," he continued.
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