{"id":281501,"date":"2026-04-23T04:56:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T04:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/281501\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T04:56:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T04:56:08","slug":"plan-to-ban-kids-from-social-media-pushed-forward-by-california-lawmakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/281501\/","title":{"rendered":"Plan to ban kids from social media pushed forward by California lawmakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

California lawmakers are charging ahead with a controversial plan to ban kids<\/a> under 16 from TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms \u2014 clearing a major hurdle despite a growing chorus of critics.<\/p>\n

The bipartisan bill, AB-1709, passed out of Committee<\/a> last week with overwhelming support, putting California one step closer to a sweeping crackdown that would dramatically reshape how teens go online.<\/p>\n

The proposal would effectively yank minors under 16 off platforms packed with so-called \u201caddictive features\u201d \u2014 think endless scrolling, autoplay videos and constant notifications \u2014 unless companies overhaul how their apps work.<\/p>\n

Backers say it\u2019s long overdue.<\/p>\n

Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), who introduced the bill, warns social media firms have \u201cunfettered access to vulnerable, developing minds\u201d and have made \u201cdesign choices that malignantly target users\u2019 neurological systems, leading to addiction, depression, and, in grave circumstances, death.\u201d<\/p>\n

He argues the measure is needed to confront what he calls an \u201cevolving public health crisis\u201d driven by Big Tech.<\/p>\n

If passed, companies would be forced to verify users\u2019 ages and delete accounts belonging to kids under 16 \u2014 or face penalties.<\/p>\n

Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal speaking at the California State Capitol. Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The bill has already cleared two committees in a matter of days and is on track for a full Assembly vote next month. Gov. Gavin Newsom has signaled support, and Lowenthal is betting bipartisan momentum will carry it into law by summer.<\/p>\n

The push comes as eye-popping stats show just how glued teens are to their screens. Surveys from Pew Research Center found most teens are on YouTube and TikTok daily, with huge numbers also hooked on Instagram and Snapchat \u2014 and up to 16% admit they\u2019re online \u201calmost constantly.\u201d
Even some teens say it\u2019s a problem.<\/p>\n

Still, not everyone is buying Sacramento\u2019s fix.<\/p>\n

California Governor Gavin Newsom speaking at the 2026 SXSW Conference. FilmMagic<\/p>\n

Opponents \u2014 including privacy advocates, tech industry groups and even some Democrats \u2014 warn the bill could backfire<\/a>, trampling free speech and parental rights in the process.<\/p>\n

Jaime Huff, head of the Civil Justice Association of California, blasted the plan as unconstitutional overreach.<\/p>\n

\u201cProtecting kids online is important, but banning minors from broad swaths of the internet is not the answer,\u201d she said, arguing the proposal \u201csubstitutes a blunt government mandate for the protections families actually need,\u201d like parental controls.<\/p>\n

California lawmakers are charging ahead with a controversial plan to ban kids under 16 from TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms. Shutterstock \/ lzf<\/p>\n

Critics say the measure would strip families of the ability to decide what\u2019s best for their own kids, replacing it with a one-size-fits-all government rule.<\/p>\n

Common Sense Media CEO Jim Steyer insists the bill doesn\u2019t censor kids \u2014 it targets the tech itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis bill prohibits platforms that use addictive feeds from allowing children under 16 to hold accounts,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are regulating how these multi-billion-dollar platforms can target them through predatory product design.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steyer framed the fight as David vs. Goliath \u2014 parents versus tech titans armed with armies of engineers fine-tuning apps to keep kids hooked.
\u201cNo parent can compete,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

California wouldn\u2019t be the first to try. Florida has already passed a similar law for younger teens \u2014 though it\u2019s now tied up in court.<\/p>\n

Social media platforms removed 4.7 million accounts after Australia banned them for children younger than 16 at the end of last year. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California lawmakers are charging ahead with a controversial plan to ban kids under 16 from TikTok, Instagram and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":281502,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,3409,2305,7644,4182,4568,3808,3586],"class_list":{"0":"post-281501","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-california-headlines","10":"tag-california-news","11":"tag-child","12":"tag-children","13":"tag-instagram","14":"tag-metro","15":"tag-social-media","16":"tag-tiktok","17":"tag-us-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281501\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}