California child-safety laws expand age checks to addictive feeds, AI chatbots

Gavin Newsom signed a California legislative package: SB 1119 (the Adam Act) requires independent child safety audits and annual risk assessments from AI companies, AB 1709 bans addictive features for users under 16, and AB 1043 introduces device-level age verification. Fines reach $50,000 for intentional violations and $25,000 for negligence per child. OpenAI and Common Sense Media supported the initiatives.

• SB 1119 is the first US law requiring child safety audits for AI companies
• AB 1709 bans addictive features for users under 16
• Fines: up to $50,000 intentional and $25,000 negligent per child
• AB 1856 formalizes age signals from OS and app stores for developers