California enacts social media restriction for minors as EFF warns of privacy costs

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1709, a law the Electronic Frontier Foundation describes as a functional ban on social media use for people under the age of 16. The EFF and allied groups said the measure cuts young people off from online communities and information, and that age-verification requirements will push companies to collect more personal data. The organization argued the law is inconsistent with free expression and predicted California will spend resources defending it in court. The EFF instead urged passage of privacy laws targeting surveillance business models.