California Enacts Several Minors’ Privacy and Safety Laws
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of laws tightening privacy and safety rules for minors online. The legislation restricts certain platform features for users under 16, imposes a duty of care on social media companies, and updates the state's age verification and design code requirements.
Why this matters: These laws put real obligations on platforms, not just guidelines. If a company knowingly exposes a child to harmful features, a duty of care means they can be held responsible for the damage. The tricky part is age verification. Confirming someone is under 16 requires collecting more data about everyone, including adults. That tradeoff is real. Better child protection is worth pursuing. But the mechanism used to achieve it can quietly build surveillance infrastructure that outlasts the good intention behind it.
Who should care: General readers · Privacy officers · Policy
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