Tech Oversight California today applauded California Governor Gavin Newsom for signing a package of youth online safety bills the organization supported throughout this year’s session, including AB 2246, California’s Kids Code 2.0, which Tech Oversight California proudly co-sponsored, and SB 1119, Adam’s Law, issuing the following statement:
“We applaud Governor Gavin Newsom for signing this package into law, and we thank the authors for their tireless work to get these bills over the finish line despite years of opposition from Big Tech lobbyists. Big Tech companies don’t fix their products on their own – they change only when forced to by a jury, court, or legislature. These laws build on the recent AG settlement with Meta, creating lasting protections for kids on all platforms whether they’re on social media, using AI, or in the classroom. They work together to put responsibility where it belongs, on the companies that design these products, instead of on parents and schools. We are especially grateful to Adam Raine’s parents, who turned the worst thing that can happen to a family into a fight for every other family in this state. Adam’s Law carries their son’s name because of them, and California is better today because of their advocacy. Today, California sent a clear message to the rest of the country that our kids’ wellbeing comes before engagement metrics and Big Tech profits,” said Tech Oversight California executive director Sacha Haworth.
The bills signed today include AB 2246 (Wicks), California’s Kids Code 2.0, which strengthens and fortifies the state’s landmark Age-Appropriate Design Code to make sure privacy and safety are the default for young users; AB 1709 (Lowenthal), which deactivates addictive features for kids under 16; AB 2 (Lowenthal), which makes social media platforms liable for damages when failure to exercise ordinary care injures a child; SB 1119 (Padilla, Bauer-Kahan, Wicks), Adam’s Law, which extends design-based protections for kids to companion chatbots; and AB 1159 (Addis), the California Learner Personal Information Protection Act (CALPIPA), which modernizes California’s student data privacy laws, extends them from preschool through higher education, and gives students harmed by violations the ability to hold ed tech companies accountable.
Read more:
- Tech Oversight California letter cosponsoring AB 2246 (4/10/26)
- Tech Oversight California letter supporting AB 2 (6/10/26)
- Tech Oversight California letter supporting AB 1709 (8/24/26)
- Tech Oversight California letter supporting SB 1119 (8/31/26)
- Coalition letter supporting AB 1159 (6/3/26)
Tech Oversight California is a Sacramento-based advocacy group dedicated to reinforcing the ongoing fight to build a better internet in California and beyond by holding Big Tech platforms accountable and moving the state forward as a national and global role model for strong tech regulation.