California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a series of state bills that require users to undergo age verification when using Apple and Google devices, add warning labels to social media content, and regulate the production of AI chatbots and “deepfake” videos.
According to reports from English Epoch Times, these seven bills were passed by the California legislature during the 2025-2026 session and officially signed into effect on October 12.
Some regulations will take effect on January 1, 2027, while others involving “deepfake” pornography content and AI usage responsibilities will be immediately implemented.
In a statement, Newsom wrote, “We have witnessed the harrowing tragedy of young people being harmed due to a lack of tech oversight, and we will not stand by and allow companies to continue in this manner.”
The age verification bill, known as California’s “Bill No. 1043,” requires operating systems like Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android to determine users’ age ranges (whether under 13, between 13 and 16, between 16 and 18, or 18 and older) and restrict user access to content based on this information.
This restriction will apply to the built-in software of these operating systems, such as the Apple App Store and Google Play for downloading applications.
Companies that violate this requirement may face civil penalties, with each affected child able to claim $2,500; if companies intentionally violate the law, each child could claim up to $7,500.
Bill No. 1043 does not impose age verification requirements on pornographic websites, but 25 states in the U.S. have recently implemented such regulations, leading platforms like Pornhub to cease operations in those states.
California’s Bill No. 3080 aimed to enforce similar requirements but was not passed by the legislature this year, ultimately being rejected by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Another legislation, Bill No. 621, imposes heavy penalties on the production or sharing of “deepfake” pornography videos. These videos use AI programs to create pornographic images using real faces extracted from public photos.
The bill allows plaintiffs to sue defendants for maliciously creating or sharing such content, with claims of up to $250,000, punitive damages, and attorney fees.
However, under Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act, social media companies are not held responsible for content posted on their platforms.
Bill No. 316, signed by Newsom, stipulates that users will be legally liable if AI-generated content causes harm to others.
Another law, Bill No. 56, concerning social media warning labels, requires companies to issue a warning when users under 17 accumulate more than three hours of platform use in a single day.
On Monday, October 13, just hours after signing a law requiring platforms to alert users that they are interacting with chatbots and not humans, Newsom vetoed a bill prohibiting teenagers from engaging with AI chatbots.
This landmark bill banned companies from providing AI chatbot services to those under 18 unless they ensure their technology does not involve sexual topics or promote self-harm.
Newsom stated, “While I strongly support the initiative to establish necessary safeguards to protect minors using AI, this bill imposes overly broad restrictions on chatbots, potentially inadvertently leading to a complete ban on minors using such products.”
California is one of several states this year attempting to address the issue of minors interacting with chatbots. With multiple reports and lawsuits alleging that chatbots developed by companies like Meta and OpenAI engage in highly sexualized conversations with underage users and even urge them to end their lives in certain cases, public concerns about the safety of such technology continue to escalate.
The previously unapproved ban on teenagers using AI chatbots was intended to apply to generative AI systems that retain users’ personal information, proactively address emotional issues to simulate “human-like relationships” with users. This bill would have empowered the state attorney general to impose $25,000 in civil fines for each violation.