California bans autoplay and algorithmic feeds for under-16 users, passed with zero opposition
AB 1709, part of the same 13-bill child-safety package as Adam's Law and the AI-CSAM statute, targets the engagement mechanics behind AI-personalized feeds specifically -- not AI chatbots, the focus of the package's other headline bills.
Governor Newsom signed AB 1709 (Asm. Josh Lowenthal) on September 10, 2026, as part of the same 13-bill child-safety package that included Adam's Law and the AI-generated-CSAM statute already covered on this site. AB 1709 bans addictive engagement features -- autoplay and algorithmic content feeds specifically -- for users under 16, and passed the legislature with no recorded opposition. A companion bill in the package, AB 2, separately raises the civil damages large platforms owe when their products harm minors.
A different target than the rest of the package
Where SB 1119 and SB 1276 focus on companion chatbots and AI-generated abuse imagery, AB 1709 targets the recommendation-engine mechanics behind any AI-personalized feed -- the same algorithmic ranking systems that power short-video apps, social platforms, and increasingly AI-driven content discovery generally. OpenAI's own public comment on the broader package, via Chris Lehane, was that it "meets the moment for parents and sets teens up for educational success" -- notable as a frontier AI lab publicly endorsing engagement-limiting regulation rather than opposing it.
Why this reaches beyond social media specifically
Any product using an AI recommendation or ranking system to personalize content for users who could be under 16 -- not just social apps in the traditional sense -- now has a concrete California compliance requirement to check its feed logic against. Passing with zero recorded opposition is itself a signal: this is the kind of engagement-mechanics regulation with little political cost to support, which makes it a reasonable bet for other states to copy quickly.