California Fast-Tracks Bill to Ban Social Media for Under-16s
California’s A.B. 1709 would ban social media use for anyone under 16, advancing despite privacy concerns.
Why it matters: Legal teams and tech companies must brace for major compliance changes in a state leading national policy debates on youth digital rights. The bill’s aggressive age checks and bans would reshape platform obligations and user privacy expectations.
- A.B. 1709 would prohibit minors under 16 from opening or keeping social media accounts.
- Platforms must implement measures and age checks under the Digital Age Assurance Act.
- The bill creates an e-Safety Advisory Commission within the DOJ to guide online safety.
- Critics, including EFF, warn about privacy, parental rights, and increased sensitive data collection.
California lawmakers are accelerating A.B. 1709, a measure that would make it illegal for anyone under 16 to have a social media account. The bill advanced through the Assembly Privacy and Judiciary Committees with strong bipartisan support.
- Platforms would be required to put in place reasonable measures to stop minors under 16 from accessing their services and use age verification procedures outlined in the Digital Age Assurance Act.
- The proposed law also establishes an e-Safety Advisory Commission within the Department of Justice to advise on online safety issues and provide regulatory guidance.
Supporters argue A.B. 1709 is a necessary response to mounting evidence of social media’s negative mental health impacts on young people. As Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal puts it, social media firms have "unfettered access to vulnerable, developing minds" and their "design choices...lead to addiction, depression, and, in grave circumstances, death."
Opponents, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, caution that mandatory age checks could erode privacy, increase the risk of sensitive data collection, undermine online anonymity, and override parental authority. The EFF warned that the measure "puts the state in charge of young people's digital lives," rather than parents.
This bill aligns California with a growing movement to regulate minors’ online access. However, specific details on how tech platforms must implement age verification and the penalties for non-compliance remain unclear.
Legal and tech professionals should monitor these developments as the legislation could set new standards—and legal risks—for social platforms nationwide.
By the numbers:
- February 4, 2026 — A.B. 1709 introduced.
- 2 — Number of major Assembly committee amendments (March 19, April 14, 2026).
- Nearly unanimous — Support for A.B. 1709 in key Assembly committees.
Yes, but: The bill lacks clear guidance on enforcement mechanisms and penalties for non-compliance, leaving uncertainty for platforms seeking compliance.