Online child safety advocates urge California lawmakers to increase protections

Nationwide, parents are grappling with how to protect their children from a myriad of threats online.

As the home to many tech giants, California is paving the way for legislative restrictions on social media and artificial intelligence, said Gov. Gavin Newsom. But while child safety advocates agree progress was made at the state capital this year, they argue there’s still a long way to go and plan to fight for more protections when legislators reconvene in January.

During the recent legislative session, Newsom signed several laws to make the internet safer for minors. But, he vetoed what many considered the toughest bill, arguing it was too broad and could block minors from accessing AI entirely.

“I would say California is definitely leading on this,” said Jai Jaisimha, co-founder of the Transparency Coalition, a nonprofit researching the risks and opportunities associated with AI. “[But] I would love to see a willingness to be a bit stronger in terms of understanding the impacts and taking action faster. We can’t afford to wait three or four years — harm is happening now.”

Read more about the bills signed into law at the link.