California AB2: Injuries to children: civil penalties.

What the bill says

An act to add and repeal Section 1714.02 of the Civil Code, relating to social media platforms. social media platforms Injuries to children: civil penalties. Existing law provides that everyone is responsible not only for the result of their willful acts but also for an injury occasioned to another by their want of ordinary care or skill in the management of their property or person. This bill would, until January 1, 2035, make a social media platform, as defined, liable for specified damages if the social media platform fails to exercise ordinary care or skill by causing injury to a child…

From the chaptered text, September 10, 2026:

An act to add and repeal Section 1714.02 of the Civil Code, relating to social media platforms. social media platforms Injuries to children: civil penalties. Existing law provides that everyone is responsible not only for the result of their willful acts but also for an injury occasioned to another by their want of ordinary care or skill in the management of their property or person. This bill would, until January 1, 2035, make a social media platform, as defined, liable for specified damages if the social media platform fails to exercise ordinary care or skill by causing injury to a child. MAJORITY NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares the following: (a) Subdivision (a) of Section 1714 of the Civil Code already makes every person and corporation, including social media platforms, financially responsible for an injury occasioned to another by their want of ordinary care or skill in the management of their property or person. (b) Children are uniquely vulnerable on social media platforms. (c) The biggest social media platforms invent and deploy features they know injure large numbers of children, including contributing to child deaths. (d) The costs of these injuries are unfairly being paid by parents, schools, …

Read the full official text

Sponsors

• Josh Lowenthal (D, AD69) · primary sponsor