California Passes Law to Require Warning on Social Media

Published: October 15, 2025

phone, social media — Photo by 和国谢 on Unsplash

By Gavin Boyle

After the U.S. Surgeon General called for a Surgeon General’s Warning to be placed on social media, California is the first state to act after passing a law that requires such a warning to appear for users under the age of 18.

“The Surgeon General has warned that while social media may have benefits for some young users, social media is associated with significant health harms and has not yet been proven safe for young users,” the warning will read.

The law stipulates that the warning will appear for users the first time they open a social media platform every day, after three hours of use and every use after that. The technology law also creates new regulations for AI technology, placing an emphasis on mental health concerns.

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“Emerging technology like chatbots and social media can inspire, educate, and connect – but without real guardrails, technology can also exploit, mislead and endanger our kids. We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom. “We can continue to lead in AI and technology, but we must do it responsibly – protecting our children every step of the way. Our children’s safety is not for sale.”

While the negative effects of social media on developing brains is extremely concerning, the impact of AI chatbots is even more so, especially given their agreeable nature which can cause them to encourage harmful behavior. Chatbots have been accused of leading to the deaths of multiple young users after they have encouraged these victims to take their own lives or failed to stop this harmful thinking.

Companies like OpenAI – the maker of ChatGPT – are now taking steps to protect younger users by introducing child accounts which limits some of its features, while also notifying parents if any worrying conversations with the chatbot occur.

Should social media come with a warning label?

“Available to all ChatGPT users starting today, parental controls allow parents to link their account with their teen’s account and customize settings for a safe, age-appropriate experience,” a post from OpenAI at the beginning of October said.

However, these features have proven to be easily exploitable as they have simple workarounds and don’t always work in the first place. Nonetheless, they serve as a good starting point for the company to work from as it begins to take child safety seriously.

In the meantime, it is encouraging to see California prioritize the safety of young users as the state responds to the call of the Surgeon General and takes action to protect children from the dangers of social media. California Bill AB 56 will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2027.

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