California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that could significantly alter how minors in the state interact with social media platforms. 

SB976, which will take effect in 2027, introduces two major changes to social media for young users.

First, the bill prohibits social media platforms from providing “addictive feeds” to minors without parental consent. These feeds are defined as those based on information provided by or collected about the user. 

This effectively mandates that minors’ feeds must be chronological displays of content from accounts they follow, potentially eliminating features like TikTok’s “For You Page” for underage users.

Second, the law restricts social media platforms from sending notifications to minors without parental approval during specific times. These include the hours between midnight and 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays during the school year.

Governor Newsom cites concerns about social media’s impact on children, including “isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night.”

The bill includes a caveat that these restrictions apply unless the operator lacks actual knowledge that the user is a minor. Additionally, the state’s attorney general is tasked with implementing age verification and parental consent regulations by 2027, though specific details remain unclear.

Lawmakers Not Convinced By Big Tech’s Efforts to Protect Users?

The legislation has drawn opposition from a diverse group, including the ACLU of California, Equality California, and associations representing major tech companies like TikTok and Meta, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

The two companies, along with Snap, recently united in the new Thrive Initiative to combat the spread of suicide and self-harm content across their platforms. 

Meta also rolled out Instagram Teen Accounts, a feature designed to enhance teenage users’ safety and give parents greater control over their children’s online experiences.

This legislation emerges amid ongoing legal disputes between TikTok and the U.S. government. Despite the potential ban, presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are embracing the Chinese-owned app during their campaigns.