Gov. Gavin Newsom endorses social media ban for children younger than 16
Gov. Gavin Newsom supports restricting social media access to children under 16 years of age, tacitly supporting a bill that is making its way through the Legislature that would set minimum age requirements for users of social media.
Two weeks ago, Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, introduced Assembly Bill 1709, which would require social media platforms to establish a minimum age requirement for users. The bill has bipartisan support from Assemblymembers Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda; David Alvarez, D-San Diego; Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin; Mia Bonta, D-Alameda; Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, and Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland.
Politico first reported Newsom’s position after he told reporters Thursday that he supported efforts to curb social media for children.
The governor rarely endorses legislation ahead of passage, but his support will likely heavily factor in the likelihood of the bill’s passage. Tech interests and children’s rights advocates have heavily lobbied the Legislature on both sides of the issue as lawmakers have shown more willingness to crack down to protect children’s mental health.
Newsom spokesperson Tara Gallegos confirmed he was supportive of developing policy to restrict social media usage for kids under 16.
“We have a generation that’s never been more anxious, less free, more stressed, and we have to address this issue,” Newsom said, referring to research linking social media usage with adverse mental health effects. “We need help. I think it’s long overdue that we’re having the debate we’re having now in the Legislature, and I’m very grateful the Legislature is taking this very seriously.”
He referenced a recent law in Australia that bans children under 16 from creating accounts and deactivated existing accounts on TikTok, Snapchat, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Threads.
Lowenthal said he “welcomed” Newsom’s support.
“While this legislation is still in its early stages, our commitment to seeing it through has never been stronger,” he said in a statement Friday. “We will continue moving forward, guided by the wisdom of scientific and pediatric experts, and grounded in the same principles that shape other important age milestones here in California — like when we trust our teens to get behind the wheel.”
Newsom and his wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, have previously advocated for restricting social media for children. In 2024, he signed a law sponsored by former Sen. Nancy Skinner that required tech platforms to publish a chronological feed for underage users, as opposed to a bottomless “addictive feed,” and restricted them from sending notifications during certain hours.
The Newsoms have said they heavily curb the social media usage of their four children, who range in age from 9 to 16, and spoken about the adverse effects of tech on them.
Siebel Newsom previously said they had to briefly homeschool their oldest daughter after she experienced online bullying during the pandemic.
Newsom told a podcast last year that his older son, Hunter, turned him on to Charlie Kirk, the far-right youth pundit who appeared on Newsom’s podcast months before Kirk was assassinated last year.
Hunter discovered Kirk via YouTube on his school-issued tablet after his algorithm showed him videos from Kirk, the accused rapist and manosphere influencer Andrew Tate, and conservative pop psychologist Jordan Peterson, Newsom told Pod Save America.
This story was originally published February 20, 2026 at 10:09 AM with the headline "Gov. Gavin Newsom endorses social media ban for children younger than 16."
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Gov. Gavin Newsom’s support for Assembly Bill 1709. He has not taken a position.
