California is poised to become the first state to require warning labels on social media platforms, following the passage of Assembly Bill 56 through both houses of the state legislature. The groundbreaking legislation, now awaiting Governor Newsom’s signature, represents a significant step in addressing the youth mental health crisis linked to excessive social media use.
In this conversation with Mikey Hothi, Director, California Kids & Tech Policy from Common Sense Media, he emphasizes that this legislation mirrors successful warning label campaigns for tobacco and alcohol. With Governor Newsom facing an October 13 deadline to sign or veto the bill, advocates are mobilizing grassroots support from parents and educators to secure this landmark children’s digital safety protection.
The law would require platforms with “addictive feeds”—including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat—to display prominent warning messages to minor users. Upon opening these applications, users under 18 would see a 10-second warning covering 25% of the screen, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms and has not been proven safe for young users.
The legislation includes escalating warnings: after three hours of use, a secondary 30-second warning would cover 75% of the screen, with additional warnings appearing every subsequent hour.
Research shows that minors often spend more than five hours daily on social media platforms, and with adolescents who spend more than three hours per day facing double the risk of mental health issues, the need for intervention has never been clearer. This legislation represents a state-level response to what many see as federal inaction on digital safety for children.