California advances ban on addictive social-media features for under-16s as Newsom weighs signature

California lawmakers approved AB 1709 to bar under-16s from features like infinite scrolling and autoplay designed to maximize screen time, framing it as child-protection policy as Gov. Newsom weighs whether to sign. The move follows Meta’s up-to-$18 billion youth-safety settlement and reflects bipartisan momentum to curb “addictive” design without outright banning accounts.