California Restricts Social Media Notifications for Minors

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new bill into law that puts strict parameters around how social media apps can interact with minors in the state.

The Big Picture: Governments, social scientists, and parents are trying to figure out how best to moderate kids’ relationships with social media — technology designed to keep us endlessly engaged. Like many laws in the state, California’s law could be a blueprint for the rest of the country.

Behind the Code: California’s SB976 has received the official signature to become the state law starting in 2027.

• The law stipulates that social media apps can’t send minors notifications during school hours (8AM to 3PM on weekdays) and when they should be sleeping (12AM to 6AM).
• It also requires that minors automatically be given a depersonalized experience on the apps, meaning no algorithmic recommendations.
• But these rules aren’t hard and fast — parents can turn off both rules if desired.

Closing Thoughts: California’s law is especially significant because most of the companies affected have their HQs in the state and have generated enormous profits from keeping users — especially young users — hooked. Putting guardrails in place to protect minors was already trending within social media companies themselves (thanks to several explosive reports on how they didn’t for years). Putting legal limitations on how minors can use social media may be culture’s first step towards treating platforms like cigarettes — things people used freely all the time but turned out to be bad for them.