SACRAMENTO, August 26, 2026 – In the wake of the landmark Meta Settlement, California’s Legislature is on the cusp of passing Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal’s (Long Beach - D) social media safety package (AB 1709 and AB 2) to extend protections further than those set in the Meta Trial and invest in first-in-the-nation digital safety infrastructure through an e-Safety Advisory Commission.
In response to the landmark settlement in the Meta Trial, Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (Long Beach - D) said:
“I applaud the heroic efforts of survivors, survivor parents, youth advocates, and digital safety and health experts whose tireless courage led to this historic settlement. I also want to commend the conviction of the attorney generals who brought this case forward, especially AG Rob Bonta, who successfully argued a historic decision that will improve the lives of generations to come.
But the settlement is not the end of the story. There are other platforms and other features not yet covered by the settlement, which is why in the coming days we need to codify a digital safety package that imposes stronger accountability measures for harm against children on platforms and mandatory guardrails on addictive features.”
The decision and the proposed digital safety laws work in tandem but largely focus on different features. Many of the safety measures mandated by the settlement are optional controls, while Assemblymember Lowenthal’s bill package goes a step further.
What the Meta Settlement Mandates: The Meta Settlement imposes parental settings for users under 18 that include a default daily time limit and a default nighttime block between midnight and 6am, default blocks on notifications during school hours and nighttime, a ban on certain filters and displaying likes or reactions for under 18s, and optional settings to turn off recommendation algorithms, and stronger reporting protocols.
Assemblymember Lowenthal’s Digital Safety Package Requires: Assemblymember Lowenthal’s bill to age gate addictive features on social media platforms (AB 1709) prohibits social media platforms from deploying video autoplay, infinite scroll, and recommendation algorithms to children under 16. It also establishes an e-Safety Advisory Commission so that the State of California retains a digital safety expert body. Assemblymember Lowenthal’s other digital safety bill establishes steeper penalties for negligent harm caused to children by social media platforms, so that courts and families are empowered to seek accountability for harms done to children.
“Child protection must be comprehensive, so we must go beyond default settings,” said Assemblymember Lowenthal.
