AB 1043 (2025), Digital Age Assurance Act
Enacted, not yet in force
Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1798.500-1798.505
Effective 2027-01-01 · Applies to private
Requires operating system providers to ask account holders for a birth date or age at device setup and to send a real time age bracket signal (under 13, 13 to under 16, 16 to under 18, or 18 and older) to app developers, without requiring government ID or biometric data.
| Age threshold | 18 |
| Verification methods | self declaration, device signal |
| Penalties | Civil penalties up to $2,500 per affected child for a negligent violation and up to $7,500 for an intentional violation. |
| Enforcement body | California Attorney General |
| Private suits | no |
Source: Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1798.500-1798.505
AB 1856 (2026), age verification signals for browsers and websites
Proposed
Assembly Bill 1856, 2025-2026 Regular Session, amending Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1798.500-1798.504
Applies to private
Would extend the Digital Age Assurance Act's device level age signal framework to browser providers and website operators, and would exempt operating systems distributed under open source licenses. Passed the Assembly 68 to 1 on May 26, 2026, cleared the Senate Privacy, Data Technology and Cybersecurity Committee 9 to 0 as amended on June 30, 2026, and was in the Senate Appropriations Committee with a hearing set for August 3, 2026.
| Verification methods | device signal, self declaration |
| Enforcement body | California Attorney General |
Source: Assembly Bill 1856, 2025-2026 Regular Session, amending Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1798.500-1798.504
AB 2273 (2022), California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act
Enjoined
Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1798.99.28-1798.99.40
Effective 2024-07-01 · Applies to private
Requires businesses providing an online service, product, or feature likely to be accessed by children under 18 to complete data protection impact assessments, configure default settings for high privacy and safety, and avoid dark patterns and profiling of minors.
| Age threshold | 18 |
| Verification methods | facial estimation, self declaration |
| Penalties | Civil penalties up to $2,500 per affected child for a negligent violation and up to $7,500 for an intentional violation. |
| Enforcement body | California Attorney General |
| Private suits | no |
Litigation: 9th Cir. Nos. 23-2969 and 25-2366; N.D. Cal. No. 5:22-cv-08861-BLF (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California). The data protection impact assessment requirement, data use restrictions, dark patterns restriction, and notice and cure provision remain enjoined. A March 12, 2026 Ninth Circuit ruling vacated the injunction on the coverage definition and age estimation requirement and remanded to the district court to decide whether the remaining provisions are severable.
Source: Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1798.99.28-1798.99.40
SB 976 (2024), Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act
In force
Cal. Health & Safety Code §§ 27000-27007
Effective 2025-01-01 · Applies to private
Bars addictive feeds, most nighttime and school hour notifications, and non default privacy settings for users a platform knows are minors, without verifiable parental consent. A separate age verification requirement is not effective until January 1, 2027.
| Age threshold | 18 |
| Verification methods | third party service, self declaration |
| Penalties | Enforced only in a civil action brought by the Attorney General; the statute does not set a fixed per violation amount. |
| Enforcement body | California Attorney General |
| Private suits | no |
Litigation: 9th Cir. No. 25-146; N.D. Cal. No. 5:24-cv-07885-EJD (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit). A September 9, 2025 ruling affirmed denial of an injunction as to most provisions but ordered the district court to enjoin the default setting that hides like and share counts on minors' posts, finding that provision likely violates the First Amendment. The age verification requirement's challenge was found unripe because it does not start until 2027.
Source: Cal. Health & Safety Code §§ 27000-27007
AB 56 (2025), social media warning labels for minors
Enacted, not yet in force
Cal. Health & Safety Code §§ 28000-28002
Effective 2027-01-01 · Applies to private
Requires covered addictive platforms to display a prescribed black box warning, attributed to the Surgeon General, to users under 18: for at least 10 seconds covering at least 25 percent of the screen on first daily access, and for at least 30 seconds covering at least 75 percent of the screen after 3 hours of cumulative daily use and each hour thereafter. Approved by the Governor October 13, 2025; operative January 1, 2027.
| Age threshold | 18 |
| Private suits | no |
Source: Cal. Health & Safety Code §§ 28000-28002
AB 1709 (2026), minimum age for addictive social media features
Proposed
Assembly Bill 1709, 2025-2026 Regular Session
Applies to private
Would bar users under 16 from accessing addictive feeds, autoplay, and similar engagement features on covered platforms, using age determinations from the Digital Age Assurance Act or Health and Safety Code Section 27001, and would create an e-Safety Advisory Commission within the Department of Justice. Passed the Assembly and was in Senate Appropriations as of July 9, 2026.
| Age threshold | 16 |
| Verification methods | device signal, self declaration |
| Penalties | Up to $50,000 per affected minor for a knowing violation and up to $25,000 for a negligent violation. |
| Enforcement body | California Attorney General or local public prosecutors |
| Private suits | no |
Source: Assembly Bill 1709, 2025-2026 Regular Session