California Under-16 Social Media Ban (AB 1709)
United States- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- Became Law
California would bar under-16s from social media accounts with addictive features, and put platforms rather than parents in charge of enforcing it.
Latest update
Amended in the Senate
This bill is still moving
This bill is still moving, so there's still time to push back.
Contact LawmakersWhat it does
AB 1709, from Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, would prohibit anyone under 16 from creating or keeping an account on a platform carrying addictive features such as notifications, endless scroll and autoplay. Enforcement falls on the platform rather than the parent. The bill was amended in the Senate on August 28, 2026 and remains in progress; the Governor has said he supports restricting access for teenagers under 16.
Why it matters
California already has an age-appropriate design code tied up in court and a separate law on addictive feeds, so this would be a third rule on the same subject and by far the bluntest. A ban has to be enforced against everyone, since a platform cannot keep under-16s out without working out how old all its users are. The state has also ordered device-level age reporting through AB 1043, which is the machinery a ban like this would lean on.
Our take
Handing platforms the job of keeping children out is the same as handing them the job of checking everyone, because there is no way to do the first without the second. California has spent three years building the parts, and this is the bill that would put them to work.
Timeline
Amended in the Senate
LatestPassed the Assembly 76-0 and sent to the Senate