YPA California
The California Young People's Alliance is a bipartisan, youth-led nonprofit that organizes young people across the state to advocate for solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our generation.
California by the Numbers
8M+
Young Californians protected
Californians under 18 are now covered by the social media and AI safety laws YPA fought for, including AB 2 and SB 1119.
1,200
Student members
Young Californians organizing with YPA.
1,600+
Declaration signatures
On the Declaration for the American Dream.
4
Bills signed into law
AB 2, AB 1709, SB 1119, and SB 243, all backed by YPA.
Our California Chapters
Every YPA chapter in California.
Universities · 17
Cal State Northridge
Northridge
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont
Pitzer College
Claremont
Pomona College
Claremont
Sacramento State University
Sacramento
San Diego State University
San Diego
Scripps College
Claremont
UC Berkeley
Berkeley
UC Irvine
Irvine
UC Riverside
Riverside
UC San Diego
San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara
UC Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
UCLA
Los Angeles
University of San Francisco
San Francisco
University of Southern California
Los Angeles
High Schools · 2
Clovis North High School
Fresno
Livermore High School
Livermore
Our Platform
Young people are facing shrinking economic opportunity, an affordability crisis, and mass erosion of communities. Neither political party is prioritizing these pressing issues affecting our generation. Here is what we're fighting for in California.
OPPORTUNITY
Despite growing up in the backyard of the largest and most profitable companies in the world, young people in California are struggling to find fulfilling and stable careers.
Higher education is more expensive than ever and is no longer a promise of success. Meanwhile, those in alternative career paths are on track to make less than their parents. AI has already automated millions of entry-level jobs, spiking youth unemployment, and is on track to automate vast swaths of industry, cutting off access to meaningful careers.
We work to:
- →Advocate for the creation of millions of apprenticeships and training programs in both blue-collar and white-collar fields to give our generation an AI-resilient entry point into careers.
- →Make 4-year colleges more cost effective, ending legacy admissions, and reform occupational licensing requirements to make employment more accessible.
- →Protect jobs and promote meaningful careers by removing AI automation incentives in the tax code.
AFFORDABILITY
From housing to basics, it is getting too expensive to live a fulfilling and dignified life.
Skyrocketing housing costs have killed the California Dream. While 42% of young people are barely getting by financially, we pay a disproportionate amount of taxes and benefit significantly less from government spending than other generations.
We work to:
- →Make housing more affordable by reforming zoning laws that artificially increase the price of housing and create incentives to encourage more housing construction.
- →Stop manipulative corporate practices that raise prices, like AI price fixing and dark patterns.
- →Explore reforming the tax system to be more fair for our generation.
COMMUNITY
Our generation has been gutted by loneliness and a lack of strong communities, and 83% of young people are not deeply connected to any community.
Emerging technology like social media and AI companions are designed to steal our attention away from the things that truly matter to us, while eroding our ability to build relationships. Our civic communities have also crumbled, and while our generation believes in the potential of America, only 41% are proud of our country.
We work to:
- →Reclaim our time and attention from big tech companies by restricting addictive features in social media platforms.
- →Prevent AI platforms from serving minors manipulative, human-like chatbots designed to replace real social connection.
Legislation
Bills we've written, endorsed, or advocated on in California.
AB 1709 (2026)
Signed Into LawTargeted Ban on Addictive Design Features
Prohibits social media platforms from serving addictive features and feeds to users under 16, going after autoplay, endless feeds, and algorithmic recommendations built to maximize time on the app.
Youth advocates urged the legislature to replace the bill's original under-16 access ban with a targeted prohibition on addictive design. We encourage other states and Congress to treat AB 1709 as the model going forward.
Read our statement →SB 1119 (2026)
Signed Into LawAI Companion Chatbot Safety
Requires AI companies to take reasonable measures to prevent chatbots from simulating an emotional bond with users under 18, prevents AI from serving users under 18 with targeted ads, and requires other protections for children using chatbots.
The bill reflects YPA's Human-Like AI Framework. Its companion bill in the Assembly, AB 2023, carried the same language.
Read our statement →AB 2 (2026)
Signed Into LawSocial Media Platform Liability
Makes social media companies liable for harm they cause to children by carelessness in the management of their platforms, enforcing penalties of up to $1,000,000 per child.
YPA endorsed the bill and joined coalition letters urging the governor to sign it.
Read our statement →SB 243 (2025)
Signed Into LawCompanion Chatbots
The law requires AI companion chatbot platforms to disclose that AI chatbots are not human and implement safeguards for suicide/self-harm content, including crisis referrals.
Track this bill →AB 1064 (2025)
VetoedLEAD for Kids Act
This bill would have banned AI companion chatbots for children if they could encourage harmful behaviors (e.g., self-harm, violence, substance use, eating disorders).
Track this bill →Campaigns & Lobby Days
How members in California have shown up.
American Dream Lobby Days
Spring 2026, Nationwide
Students in NC, CA, and MI all lobbied on behalf of protections to ensure opportunity, affordability, and community for our generation. This coordinated nationwide effort brought young advocates to state capitols across the country to push for our American Dream Platform priorities.
Op-Eds
Members and staff making the case in California outlets and about California policy.
In the News
Press Releases
- Young People's Alliance Statement on Governor Newsom's Signage of Social Media and AI Safety Legislation, September 11, 2026
- Young People's Alliance Celebrates Passage of AB 1709, California's Targeted Ban on Addictive Design Features, September 1, 2026
- Young People's Alliance Applauds Court Decision Allowing California Age-Appropriate Design Code to Move Forward, March 12, 2026
- New Report Reveals Gen Z's Complicated Relationship with AI: Embrace It for Tasks, Reject It for Human Connection, March 19, 2026
Listening to California Students
The Need for a New American Dream
How Young People Are Navigating a System That Wasn't Built for Them
Our report is based on listening sessions with ~210 students across 22 campuses in Michigan, North Carolina, and California, and was covered in Politico's Morning Tech newsletter. It found young people embrace AI for basic tasks but reject it in human-centered roles, ranked home affordability and stable livelihood as top priorities, and applied to an average of 25 jobs or internships before landing a role.
Read the findings →
Join YPA California
Whether there is already a chapter on your campus or you want to start one, there is a place for you in this movement.