Covered platforms: age restriction: e-Safety Advisory Commission.

Children

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Lowenthal (A) , Alvarez (A) , Bauer-Kahan (A) , Bonta (A) , Hoover (A) , Muratsuchi (A) , Patterson (A) , Wicks
Last action: 2026-04-23
Official status: Read second time and amended.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact civil penalty for noncompliance is unspecified.

Age Restrictions for Online Platforms

This law stops online platforms from letting people younger than 16 make or use accounts and sets up a group to help keep kids safe online.

What This Bill Does

It makes it illegal for certain websites, apps, and services to let users under 16 years old create or use accounts.
It requires these platforms to take steps to stop younger users from accessing their accounts.
It allows the Attorney General to make rules about what counts as a 'covered platform' if needed to protect young people online better.
It imposes an unspecified civil penalty on noncompliant platforms and allows the Attorney General or local prosecutors to sue companies that don't follow this law.
It creates the e-Safety Advisory Commission within the Department of Justice to advise on matters related to online safety.

Who It Names or Affects

Online platforms like social media, apps, and websites
Users under 16 years old who want to create or use accounts on these platforms

Terms To Know

Covered platform: A website, app, or service that can be used by people online.
e-Safety Advisory Commission: A group within the Department of Justice that gives advice on how to keep kids safe while using the internet.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what the exact civil penalty will be for noncompliance.
It is unclear when this law would take effect since an effective date has not been set yet.

Bill History

2026-04-23 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended.
2026-04-22 California Legislative Information
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (April 21).
2026-04-16 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 13. Noes 1.) (April 16). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2026-04-15 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.
2026-04-14 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on P. & C.P. Read second time and amended.
2026-03-23 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.
2026-03-19 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on P. & C.P. Read second time and amended.
2026-03-19 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on P. & C.P. and JUD.
2026-02-05 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be heard in committee March 7.
2026-02-04 California Legislative Information
Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 1709, as amended, Lowenthal.
Covered platforms: age restriction: e-Safety Advisory Commission.
Existing law, the Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act, prohibits an operator of an addictive internet-based service or application from providing an addictive feed, as defined, to a user unless the operator does not have actual knowledge that the user is a minor, as specified, or the operator has obtained verifiable parental consent to provide an addictive feed to the user who is a minor.
Existing law, the Digital Age Assurance Act, beginning January 1, 2027, requires a person who owns, maintains, or controls a software application, as defined, to request age bracket data sent by a real-time secure application programming interface or operating system with respect to a particular user from an operating system provider or a covered application store when the application is downloaded and launched.
This bill would prohibit a covered platform, as defined, from permitting a user who is under 16 years of age to create or maintain an account on the covered platform and would require a covered platform to implement reasonable measures to prevent users under 16 years of age from accessing or using accounts on the covered platform. The bill would also authorize the Attorney General to, in consultation with the e-Safety Advisory Commission, adopt regulations to implement and enforce the bill in order to further the purpose of protecting minors online, including by altering the scope of “covered platform” if the Attorney General determines that doing so is necessary to ensure that “covered platform” applies to internet websites, online services, online applications, or mobile applications that make addictive features, as defined, available to users under 16 years of age.
This bill would impose
an unspecified
a
civil penalty upon a noncompliant platform and would require its provisions to be enforced by
a
civil action brought only by the Attorney General or a local public
prosecutor.
prosecutor, as specified.
This bill would also establish the e-Safety Advisory Commission within the Department of Justice to advise the Attorney General on matters related to online safety, including the implementation and enforcement of the provisions described above, and would require the commission to, on or before January 1 of each year, report to the Legislature and the Governor on its activities under the bill, as specified.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Download Bill PDF