Gavin Newsom urges under-16 social media limits after confronting daughter’s phone use
California Gov. gavin newsom said the state needs new limits on social media for young teens, calling the debate "long overdue" after recalling a recent birthday-party moment where none of the seven children were talking because they were on their phones.
Gavin Newsom presses for under-16 age gates
Newsom raised the issue during a Bay Area news conference on public transportation, saying he intervened at a birthday party where "there were seven of them together on their cellphone at the birthday party, not one of them talking to each other. " He told reporters the conversation about restricting access to online platforms is overdue as lawmakers move to set minimum ages for accounts.
Assembly members introduce bipartisan minimum-age bill
Seven members of the California State Assembly introduced a bipartisan bill this month to establish a minimum age requirement to open or maintain a social media account. The measure cites existing laws that require platforms to post terms of service, disclose threat reporting procedures and maintain a law enforcement contact process.
Global conversations and state-level proposals
Newsom said he discussed the issue internationally while meeting with leaders at the Munich Security Conference and the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, including a conversation with Prime Minister Sanchez of Spain and with the Vice Premier of Australia. He later confirmed to Politico that he wants state legislation that would restrict access to online platforms for individuals under 16, and his spokesperson Tara Gallegos said the governor supports "age-gating rules" inspired by steps Australia has taken.
The governor has framed his position in parental terms: he has four children between the ages of 10 and 16 and has said the discussion on social media limits is driven in part by what he has seen at home. He has also previously signed more than a dozen bills related to social media and AI use, including measures adding warning labels and tougher penalties for deepfake pornography.
Newsom tied the push for age-based restrictions to lawmakers' current work in Sacramento, saying, "It’s long overdue that we’re having the debate we’re having now in the legislature, and I’m very grateful the legislature is taking this very seriously. " The bill introduced this month would create a statutory minimum for account holders and references platform responsibilities already on the books.
Public attention on youth social media use has also surfaced in courtroom testimony elsewhere: the topic was part of testimony in a Los Angeles trial where platform design and youth harm were examined, and executives were questioned about enforcement of under-13 bans and features that critics say can contribute to problematic use.
With the Assembly bill now introduced, lawmakers will consider the measure in committee and on the floor. The next confirmed step is the bill's movement through the state legislature after its introduction this month, where lawmakers will debate whether to set a minimum age and how to pair any new rule with platform obligations and enforcement mechanisms.
