Newsom signs law banning addictive social-media features for users under 16

Adam’s Law mandates chatbot crisis protocols, parental controls

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed legislation barring social-media platforms from displaying “addictive features” to users under 16, advancing a multi-year state effort to regulate what adolescents encounter online.

The measure targets features widely deployed across the industry, including autoplay and the personalization technology that relies on user information to decide which content to surface. Newsom signed 13 child-safety bills in all on Thursday, covering AI-driven chatbots, digitally manipulated imagery of minors, and increased privacy protections.

“It’s a good day for our children,” Newsom said at the signing. “It’s a good day for the state of California.”

Among the package is Adam’s Law, which sets requirements for AI-chatbot operators: crisis protocols for suicidal ideation, parental controls, and independent child-safety audits. The measure is named for Adam Raine, a 16-year-old who ended his life after lengthy conversations with ChatGPT about suicide.

The California action follows a recent settlement over social media’s impact on teenagers. Last month, Meta agreed to an $18 billion settlement that ended a trial over social media’s impact on teenagers and required the company to make several changes to how minors interact with its platforms. A Meta spokesperson said personalization “is also how we deliver age-appropriate content for teens that is relevant to them—all with the proper guardrails in place.” TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

OpenAI publicly backed Adam’s Law, saying the bill “treats teens as teens when it comes to making sure AI is both safe and a tool to help contribute to their ability to learn.” The company previously said it had updated ChatGPT to respond better to people in mental distress and had introduced controls allowing parents to limit conversations their children can have with the bot.

Another bill in the package targets digitally manipulated or AI-generated material depicting minors engaging in sexual conduct.

States have spent years wrestling with how to regulate platforms such as TikTok and Instagram that have become popular among young users. Lawmakers and lawyers have argued that certain platform features can contribute to mental-health harms among adolescents, including eating disorders and self-harm.