California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed a host of new laws aimed at protecting children from online risks, particularly social media platforms.
The 13 new laws aim to ensure greater online privacy for minors and include restrictions on addictive social media features for users under 16.
The measures prohibit social media platforms from exposing children to features deemed "psychologically exploitative," including infinite scrolling, algorithmic recommendations and autoplay designed to encourage compulsive use.
Another prescribes criminal sanctions against any digitally altered or AI-generated content that depicts a minor engaged in sexual conduct.
In an attempt to restrict AI companion chatbots, one of the laws requires parental controls for chatbot programs, while another banned toys containing AI chatbots.
