Ninth Circuit denied a preliminary injunction against the core provisions, September 2025
California SB 976 (Addictive Feeds)
BadLawCalifornia SB 976
California, United States
California, United StatesIn force; AG writing age ID check rulesHigh threat
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- Became Law
Bans personalized feeds for minors without parental consent, which means platforms have to work out who is a minor.
Latest update
AG Bonta proposed age ID check and parental-consent regulations
Current position
In force; AG writing age ID check rules
What it does
Platforms cannot serve minors an algorithmic feed personalized to them without verifiable parental consent, cannot send minors notifications overnight or during school hours, must default minors' accounts to private, and must publish user metrics. NetChoice sued, and in September 2025 the Ninth Circuit refused to block the core provisions, holding the feed restrictions and privacy defaults permissible. Attorney General Bonta proposed the implementing regulations on May 14, 2026, covering age determination and parental consent; final rules are due by January 1, 2027.
Why it matters
A federal appeals court has now blessed feed regulation for minors, which makes SB 976 the template other states copy. And the machinery is in the regulations: to give minors a different feed, platforms have to sort every Californian by age. The statute calls it “age assurance.” It means age ID checks on everyone.
Our take
You cannot build a special internet for minors without identifying the minors, and you cannot identify the minors without checking everyone. The feed rules get the headlines; the age-sorting rules the AG is writing right now are the part that touches every user.
Timeline
Final age ID check regulations due
UpcomingAG Bonta proposed age ID check and parental-consent regulations
LatestNinth Circuit refused to block the core provisions
Signed by Governor Newsom
Votes
- Assembly — Final passage (47 to 4) · August 31, 2024
- Senate — Final passage (28 to 2)