California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Friday that could entirely reshape how kids in the state use social media. Among the potential changes: A requirement that could effectively reshape the TikTok « For You Page » as minors now know it.
The bill, SB976, is set to take effect in 2027 in the state home to many of tech’s biggest companies. There are two major components. One: It would bar social media platforms from providing « addictive feeds » — defined as feeds based on info given by or collected on the user — to minors with parental consent. And two: It would bar social media platforms from sending notifications to minors (sans parental approval) between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays during the school year.
In short: Minors’ feeds would have to be chronological order feeds of people they followed. That would mean, effectively, no more « For You Page » on TikTok or other such algorithmic recommendation-based feeds.
« Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night, » Newsom said in a statement, via the Associated Press. « With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits. »
It should be noted that the law makes the aforementioned actions towards minors illegal « unless the operator does not have actual knowledge that the user is a minor. » Which seems to leave some space for minors who get around potential regulations. However, the bill’s authors note that the state’s attorney general will have to implement age verification and parental consent regulations by 2027, though it remains unclear what those would look like.
Now, of course, TikTok is already engulfed in a legal battle with the U.S. government, so there’s a chance it’s not even around in the U.S. in 2027. But no matter the social media landscape in a few years, this law would completely shift how the platforms operated.
The L.A. Times reported the bill has « an unusual collection of opponents, » including the ACLU of California, Equality California, and associations representing tech giants like TikTok and Meta. While the law would have a massive effect on how kids use social media, it seems reasonable to assume there will be a legal battle between now and 2027.
