Young People's Alliance Celebrates Passage of AB 1709, California's Targeted Ban on Addictive Design Features

Young People's Alliance Co-Founder and Advocacy Director Mick Tobin released the following statement:

"California just passed AB 1709, a bill that will prohibit social media platforms from serving addictive features and feeds to users under 16. This is the approach young people have been asking for. Social media platforms are engineered to keep them scrolling, through autoplay, endless feeds, and algorithmic recommendations built to maximize time on the app at the expense of young people's wellbeing. AB 1709 goes after that design directly.

This bill didn't start this way. As introduced, AB 1709 would have banned everyone under 16 from having a social media account. Alongside other youth groups, we urged the legislature to replace that ban with a targeted prohibition on addictive design. We co-led letters to the Senate Privacy, Judiciary, and Appropriations Committees and met directly with legislative offices to make the case that regulating how platforms are built is more effective, and more constitutionally sound, than cutting young people off entirely. Lawmakers listened, and the final bill reflects it.

The stakes here go beyond California. Blanket bans isolate young people from their communities and invite serious First Amendment challenges. Design regulation addresses the actual harm while respecting young people's agency. We encourage other states and Congress to treat AB 1709 as the model going forward.

We're grateful to Assemblymember Lowenthal and his staff for engaging seriously with young advocates throughout this process. We urge Governor Newsom to sign AB 1709 into law and cement California's leadership in protecting young people online."

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