California's Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation banning addictive social media features for users under 16, establishing the most aggressive tech regulation framework in the United States. The move comes as France rewrites its own proposed social media ban for minors after constitutional courts struck down key provisions, creating a transatlantic regulatory push that could reshape how Portuguese parents manage their children's online experiences.
Why This Matters
• California's AB 1709 prohibits infinite scroll, autoplay, and algorithmic feeds for users under 16, with fines up to $1M per child harmed by negligent violations.
• France's revised proposal targets approximately 10 specific harmful features—including nighttime notifications and autoplay—rather than banning platforms entirely.
• Meta's $18 billion settlement in August 2026 with 48-52 US states signals that platforms face concrete financial consequences for addictive design.
• Portugal-based families should expect gradual platform changes to reach European markets as global tech companies standardize compliance.
A Turning Point for Big Tech Accountability
The legislative momentum building in Sacramento reflects a fundamental shift in how governments approach technology companies. California's Assembly Bill 1709, signed into law on 10 September 2026, directly targets what psychologists and child advocates have long argued: social media platforms deliberately engineer features to maximize user engagement regardless of age-appropriateness.
The legislation builds on the Senate Bill 976, California's 2024 "Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act." That earlier law faced immediate legal challenges, with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issuing a temporary injunction in January 2025 that delayed implementation. AB 1709 takes a more direct approach by specifically naming prohibited features rather than relying on broader categories.
For platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, the practical requirements are substantial. Companies must disable infinite scroll mechanisms, stop automatic video playback, and prevent algorithmic content curation for verified minor accounts. The California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, already in effect since July 2024, further mandates that platforms set privacy defaults to their highest levels for users under 18 and conduct formal Data Protection Impact Assessments.
France Navigates Constitutional Obstacles
Across the Atlantic, President Emmanuel Macron is racing against his own political clock. The French leader, approaching the end of his maximum constitutional tenure in spring 2027, has instructed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to deliver a legally robust revision of the country's social media restrictions.
France's Constitutional Council rejected the original parliamentary text, ruling that a blanket ban on social media access for minors under 15 constituted a "disproportionate restriction" on freedom of expression. The council acknowledged the constitutional requirement to protect children's interests but found the measure too broad.
The revised approach, notified to the European Commission in September 2026, sidesteps the constitutional deadlock by targeting specific harmful functionalities. According to government sources cited by Le Figaro, the new text identifies approximately 10 "addictive features"—including autoplay, nighttime notifications, and communication with unknown accounts—without explicitly naming platforms, which could conflict with European regulations.
Parental consent mechanisms for adolescents aged 13-15 remain central to the French proposal. Macron has also written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, advocating for a continent-wide framework. Von der Leyen is expected to present proposals during her September address to the European Parliament.
The Meta Precedent
California's regulatory push gained urgency from the high-profile legal battle against Meta. In August 2026, the company agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle lawsuits filed by attorneys general from nearly every US state, avoiding a federal trial that would have exposed internal documents about platform design decisions.
The settlement requires Meta to implement daily screen time limits of two hours for users under 18, restrict nighttime usage, tighten notification controls, and implement stricter age verification. An independent auditor will oversee compliance over the 10-year agreement period.
What's particularly significant is that California's new legislation extends beyond this settlement. The AB 316 law, in effect since January 2026, eliminates a key legal defense: companies can no longer claim that an AI system caused harm autonomously. Responsibility now falls directly on the entity benefiting from the technology.
Additionally, the SB 53 Transparency Act requires major AI developers to publicly disclose safety protocols and report critical incidents, with civil penalties reaching $1 million per violation. These measures create ongoing compliance obligations that persist regardless of Meta's settlement terms.
How Platforms Are Responding
The regulatory pressure has already prompted voluntary changes from major technology companies. YouTube and Google have disabled autoplay for users under 18, activated break and bedtime reminders by default, and set SafeSearch as the standard browsing mode for minors.
TikTok and Instagram have restricted direct messaging between children and adults who don't follow each other. The Google Play Store now prevents users under 18 from viewing or downloading apps rated "adults only."
These modifications suggest that companies are preparing for a future where age-verification requirements become standard across Western markets. California's regulations require the state attorney general to adopt age-verification and parental-consent protocols by 1 January 2027.
What This Means for Portugal-Based Families
Portugal's own digital regulatory framework operates within the broader European context, meaning French and EU-level decisions will likely have more immediate impact than California's laws. However, the practical reality is that global platforms tend to standardize their product designs across markets where feasible.
Portuguese parents should anticipate several changes arriving gradually:
First, existing parental control tools may become more robust as platforms respond to regulatory requirements in major markets. Features that California mandates—such as default high-privacy settings for minors—may become standard offerings rather than optional configurations.
Second, the focus on specific addictive features rather than platform-level bans represents a practical approach that sidesteps free-speech concerns. Parents can expect more granular controls over autoplay, notifications, and algorithmic content delivery.
Third, the regulatory momentum suggests that chatbots and AI companion features will face increasing scrutiny. California's legislation now includes what officials describe as the country's most stringent regulations for "companion chatbots," including suicide prevention protocols and mandatory reminders that users are interacting with AI.
For families with teenagers, the French approach of allowing parental overrides for 13-15 year-olds represents a pragmatic middle ground. Rather than absolute prohibitions, parents retain decision-making authority while platforms face clearer obligations about harmful design elements.
The European Commission's forthcoming proposals—expected to restrict "addictive features" pushing young users toward extreme content—will be the more immediate regulatory development for Portugal-based residents. Von der Leyen has already signaled that the EU will not accept social media functionalities designed to create dependency among minors.
What's clear is that the era of self-regulation for social media platforms appears to be ending. The combined weight of California's comprehensive legislation, France's constitutionally-compliant revisions, and Meta's landmark settlement creates a regulatory environment where the financial and operational costs of maintaining addictive design features now outweigh their commercial benefits. For Portuguese families navigating children's technology use, the tools available—and the responsibilities placed on platforms—are poised to expand significantly over the coming years.
