Bill > AB2

This bill introduces new legal provisions to hold large social media platforms financially accountable for injuries caused to children, establishing a framework for potential civil damages. Specifically, the bill would allow children or their representatives to sue social media platforms for $5,000 per violation (up to $1 million per child) or three times the actual damages if the platform fails to exercise ordinary care and causes injury to a minor. The bill defines a "social media platform" as a platform generating over $100 million annually, and a "child" as someone under 18 years old. The legislation recognizes that children are especially vulnerable to potential harm from social media features and aims to shift the financial burden of such injuries from parents, schools, and taxpayers to the platforms themselves. The bill's provisions are intended to incentivize social media companies to design safer platforms and take more responsibility for protecting young users. Additionally, the bill specifies that these new legal remedies are cumulative with existing laws, meaning they do not replace but rather supplement other potential legal actions. The provisions will only apply to cases filed after January 1, 2026, and any attempts to waive these protections would be considered void and unenforceable.

Business and Industry, Justice

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2