Covered platforms: age restriction: e-Safety Advisory Commission.

The bill was reformatted from a printed document style (with line numbers, page breaks, and centered headers) to a web page layout with navigation elements, search functionality, and version tracking links. No changes to the actual statutory language.

The Attorney General no longer needs to consult the e-Safety Advisory Commission before adopting regulations to implement and enforce the chapter. The commission's role is now purely advisory to state government broadly, rather than a required consultation partner for the AG.

The commission's advisory scope broadened from advising only the Attorney General on implementation and enforcement to providing advice and recommendations to state government generally. Topics removed include covered entity compliance rates and enforcement, while a new topic was added: safe access to online community for isolated LGBTQ+ youth.

The exception for media prioritized to comply with law was broadened from compliance with 'state or federal law' to also include compliance with 'this chapter or any regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter,' giving platforms more flexibility when their own regulatory obligations conflict with the addictive-feature prohibition.

The e-Safety Advisory Commission expanded from five members to seven, with Governor appointees increasing from two to four. A new requirement mandates that at least one member have experience working on LGBTQ+ civil rights or statewide public policy related to LGBTQ+ youth.

Section 22683(b) changed from requiring platforms to ensure users under 16 are 'not offered or provided' addictive features to 'are not provided' addictive features, removing the obligation to prevent merely offering such features.

Commission member eligibility criteria were significantly simplified. The old version required members to be free of external influence, not engage in incompatible occupations, and have no financial interest in regulated entities. The new version simply requires members to be subject to the Political Reform Act of 1974.

A new definition was added cross-referencing 'social media platform' to Section 22675, and the definition of addictive feature now explicitly states conditions apply 'alone or in combination with one another,' clarifying that multiple exemptions can work together.

The commission's annual report to the Legislature and Governor no longer includes compliance rates among covered entities or enforcement information, reducing transparency into how well platforms are following the law.

The core prohibition changed from banning under-16 users from creating or maintaining accounts on covered platforms to prohibiting covered platforms from providing an addictive feature to users under 16. A new explicit exception allows under-16 users to create and maintain accounts as long as no addictive feature is provided to them.

The 'covered platform' definition was updated to reference an 'addictive feed feature' rather than just an 'addictive feed,' aligning the scope language with the new broader 'addictive feature' framework.

The definition of 'addictive feature' was restructured from a single narrative paragraph into a three-item list: (1) an addictive feed, (2) autoplay, and (3) any other feature defined in regulations adopted by the Attorney General. This regulatory catch-all gives the Attorney General discretion to expand the scope of covered features without new legislation.

A new fallback age verification provision was added: if a covered platform cannot verify a user's age under the Digital Age Assurance Act, it must instead rely on the age determination method in Section 27001 of the Health and Safety Code.

The account deletion requirement for under-16 users now includes an exception: platforms that lawfully permit under-16 accounts (because no addictive feature is provided) are not required to delete those accounts or associated personal information.

Civil penalty amounts were finalized at $50,000 per affected minor for knowing violations and $25,000 per affected minor for negligent violations (the Assembly version had placeholder blanks indicating the amounts were still being set).

A new e-Safety Advisory Commission is established within the Department of Justice (Government Code Chapter 5.4) to advise the Attorney General on online safety implementation, age assurance technology, compliance, and harmful design features, with an annual reporting requirement to the Legislature and Governor by January 1.

The bill's title and scope are expanded to cover both the Business and Professions Code (Chapter 22.9) and the Government Code (Chapter 5.4), reflecting the addition of the e-Safety Advisory Commission.

A full definitions section is added covering 'addictive feature' (psychologically exploitative features like notifications, addictive feeds, endless scrolls, autoplay), 'addictive feed' (with 7 specific exceptions including direct messages, preexisting sequences, and search terms), 'covered platform' (platforms offering addictive feeds as a significant part of service, excluding commercial transaction/review sites and cloud storage), 'personal information,' and 'user.'

New Section 22684 requires covered platforms to verify user age pursuant to the Digital Age Assurance Act and to delete accounts and associated personal information of users found to be under 16.

New Section 22685 restricts how personal information collected for age assurance may be used: solely for eligibility determinations, retained only as long as necessary, prohibited from use in advertising or algorithmic recommendation, and protected with reasonable security procedures.

New Section 22686 authorizes the Attorney General, in consultation with the e-Safety Advisory Commission, to adopt regulations implementing the chapter, including the power to alter the scope of 'covered platform' to capture additional services that make addictive features available to users under 16.

Enforcement authority is broadened from 'Attorney General, a district attorney, or a city attorney' to include 'a local public prosecutor,' expanding which government officials may bring civil actions.

Fiscal committee review is now required (changed from 'no' to 'yes'), indicating the bill now has fiscal implications likely related to the new commission's operations.

Civil penalty amounts were filled in: up to $50,000 per affected minor for a knowing violation and up to $25,000 per affected minor for a negligent violation. Previously these were left blank with underscores.

Enforcement authority was broadened from 'the Attorney General, a district attorney, or a city attorney' to 'the Attorney General, or a local public prosecutor,' which would include county counsel and other local prosecutorial offices beyond just district attorneys and city attorneys.

Two legislative findings were removed: one stating that research shows social media use by children under 16 presents heightened risks including exposure to harmful content, compulsive use patterns, exploitation, and adverse mental health impacts; and another stating that existing age-based restrictions relying on user self-attestation have proven ineffective and place an unreasonable burden on children and families rather than platform operators.

Five new Assembly Members were added as coauthors: Dixon, Hadwick, Harabedian, Kalra, and Wallis.

Added new Chapter 22.9 (Sections 22682-22683) to Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code, titled 'Covered Platform Age Restriction,' converting the bill from a declaration of intent into binding law.

The bill's scope expanded from a non-binding statement of legislative intent to create enforceable obligations on covered platforms with specific age thresholds and penalty provisions.

Section 22682(a) prohibits covered platforms from permitting users under 16 years of age to create or maintain an account on the platform.

Section 22682(b) requires covered platforms to implement reasonable measures to prevent users under 16 from accessing or using accounts on the platform.

Section 22683(a) limits enforcement to civil actions brought only by the Attorney General, a district attorney, or a city attorney - no private right of action is provided.

Section 22683(c) directs courts to consider the size of the platform, severity and duration of the violation, and good faith compliance efforts when assessing penalties.

Section 22683(b) imposes civil penalties of an unspecified amount (left blank) per affected minor for knowing violations and a separate unspecified amount per affected minor for negligent violations.

Added legislative findings (new Section 1) stating that research shows social media use by children under 16 presents heightened risks including exposure to harmful content, compulsive use, exploitation, and adverse mental health impacts, and that self-attestation age verification has proven ineffective.

Fiscal committee designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the amendment triggers a fiscal impact analysis. Additional coauthors (Arambula, Johnson, Schiavo, Senator Allen) and introducing member (Muratsuchi) were added.