New California children's online safety laws 2027: taking effect in 2027
7 new California laws on children's online safety take effect in 2027. Each is listed below with its date, what it does and a link to the official text.
- 7 laws take effect on 1 January 2027.
Updated 25 October 2026
One-line summaries are drafted by software from the bill text and are not reviewed by an attorney.
New California children's online safety laws in 2027
AB 1159: Student personal information.
Requires operators of websites, apps, and online services used for K-12, preschool, or higher education to protect student personal information and prohibits using student data to train artificial intelligence systems.
Some duties start later: the text names an operative date.
AB 1709: Covered platforms: age restriction: e-Safety Advisory Commission.
Covered platforms must prevent users under 16 from creating accounts and implementing reasonable measures to block their access to addictive features.
AB 1856: Age verification signals: software applications.
Starting 1 January 2027, operating system providers must provide an accessible account setup interface requiring users to indicate birth date or age, and send age bracket signals to application stores, developers, browser providers, and internet website operators.
AB 2: Injuries to children: civil penalties.
Requires social media platforms generating over one hundred million dollars annually to exercise ordinary care in managing their services or face statutory damages up to one million dollars per injured child.
AB 2246: Online service, product, or feature: access by children.
Requires businesses providing online services, products, or features likely accessed by children to protect privacy, prevent harm, configure high-privacy defaults, and avoid profiling or collecting unnecessary personal information.
SB 1119: Companion chatbots: children's safety.
Requires companion chatbot operators to annually assess child safety risks, implement protective measures, publish safety policies, and submit to independent audits starting 1 July 2027.
SB 1247: Social media platforms: child influencers.
Requires social media platforms to provide a mechanism for child influencers to request vloggers delete or edit paid content featuring them as minors within 10 business days.
Next year's children's online safety laws are bills now. Follow them in every state with the Children's Online Safety Legislation Tracker.
Questions about new California children's online safety laws in 2027
When do new children's online safety laws take effect in California in 2027?
Most take effect on 1 January 2027. Of the 7 laws listed here, 7 start on 1 January 2027. In California, a statute from a regular session takes effect on the 1 January after 90 days from enactment unless it is an urgency measure (Cal. Const. art. IV, sec. 8(c)(1)).
What new children's online safety laws take effect on 1 January 2027 in California?
7 laws in children's online safety, including California AB 1159 (Student personal information), California AB 1709 (Covered platforms: age restriction: e-Safety Advisory Commission), California AB 1856 (Age verification signals: software applications), California AB 2 (Injuries to children: civil penalties) and California AB 2246 (Online service, product, or feature: access by children). The full list, with what each one does, is above.
Is this legal advice?
No. Dates and the one-line summaries are drafted by software from the bill text and are not reviewed by an attorney. Each law links to the legislature’s own record: check the text before relying on it.
Know 2028's new children's online safety laws while they are still bills
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