California’s Catholic bishops are backing a piece of legislation that would prohibit children under the age of 16 from making accounts on social media, and are encouraging people to contact their legislators about the bill as well.
“The bishops of California share the concerns of parents and educators who see the harm done to young people through unchecked, addictive social media,” Kathleen Domingo, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, told the Catholic Herald. The California Catholic Conference represents the public policy voice of the state’s Catholic bishops.
She continued: “Even with parental safeguards and vigilance, the incidence of depression, anxiety and self-harm in teen girls has skyrocketed in the last two decades, and 62 per cent of tweens and 82 per cent of teens report having encountered nudity and sexual content online.”
It has gotten to the point where parents and guardians seeking the best for children “need help from the legislature to put clear and enforceable protective boundaries around vulnerable children’s use of addictive social media,” said Domingo.
Teens use social media for an average of five hours a day, said the California Catholic Conference.
If AB 1709 were to become law, it would “allow space for children under the age of 16 to be free of the bombardment of addictive social media and the pressure it puts on young children,” said Domingo.
“This bill is not a cure-all, but it is an important first step towards sensible regulation and better mental health and relationships,” she said.
AB 1709, authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, Democrat from Long Beach, would “set a state-wide minimum age requirement of 16 years of age to create or maintain a social media platform that uses addictive feeds”, and would “create an e-Safety Advisory Commission under the Attorney General”.
The bill is presently working its way through the legislative process. It has bipartisan support.
Social media apps subject to this bill are ones with “psychologically exploitative interfaces that are intended to maximise engagement and encourage compulsive use”, including notifications, endless scrolls and autoplay.
If the bill were to become law, children would not be banned from the internet nor potentially from all forms of social media, said Lowenthal’s website.
“Kids will still be able to access social media platforms that don’t use addictive platform designs. Social media companies can also change their interfaces to become compliant, encouraging safer platform designs and expanded access,” he said.
In December 2025, Australia became the first country in the world to restrict social media usage for children under the age of 16. Other countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Austria and Brazil, have either considered or begun rolling out similar restrictions for children on social media.
