Injuries to children: civil penalties.

A new subdivision (e) was added to Section 1714.02 providing that the section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2035, and as of that date is repealed. This creates a sunset date for the entire liability regime.

The legislative counsel's digest was updated to state the bill applies 'until January 1, 2035,' making the temporary nature of the law explicit in the summary.

The short title was changed from 'An act to add Section 1714.02 to the Civil Code' to 'An act to add and repeal Section 1714.02 to of the Civil Code' to reflect the sunset (contains a typo: 'to of').

The digest contains a typo: 'This bill would would, until January 1, 2035' (duplicated word 'would').

The prospective application date was changed from January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2027, meaning the law will not apply to cases pending before that later date. This gives platforms an additional year before the new statutory damages regime takes effect.

The anti-waiver provision was broadened from 'any waiver of this subdivision' to 'any waiver of this section,' making it impossible for a platform to contractually waive any part of the new statutory damages scheme, not just the specific damages subsection.

The operative language in Section 1714.02(a) was simplified by removing the redundant phrase 'and breaches its responsibility of ordinary care and skill' and the phrase 'in addition to any other remedy.' The cumulative remedies point is still preserved in subsection (d).

The old Section 2, which stated 'It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would make a social media platform liable for specified civil penalties,' was deleted entirely. The bill now goes directly to the operative Civil Code section without the intermediate intent statement.

Section 1714.02(a) changed from 'breaches its responsibility of ordinary care and skill to a child' to 'breaches its responsibility of ordinary care and skill by causing injury to a child.' This adds an explicit causation requirement: the platform must have actually caused the injury, not merely failed to exercise care toward a child.

Section 1714.02(b) changed from 'Any waiver of this subdivision' to 'Any waiver of this section,' broadening the anti-waiver provision so that no part of the entire section (including definitions and cumulative remedies language) can be waived by contract.

Assembly Member Patterson was added as a coauthor, with Harabedian, Pellerin, and Rivas listed as additional coauthors. The bill's short title in the digest was also simplified from 'Injuries to children: civil penalties' to just 'Injuries to children: civil penalties' (removing the redundant 'Injuries to children' prefix).

Added a revenue threshold: only social media platforms generating more than $100 million per year in gross revenues are subject to the new liability provisions.

The bill changed from a purely declarative findings-and-intent measure (with no operative legal effect) to an operative statute adding Section 1714.02 to the Civil Code that creates actual civil liability.

Added statutory damages of $5,000 per violation up to a maximum of $1,000,000 per child, or three times the child's actual damages, whichever is larger.

Defined 'child' as a minor under 18 years of age and 'social media platform' by reference to Section 22675 of the Business and Professions Code with the $100 million revenue threshold.

Added a provision making any waiver of the damages provisions void and unenforceable as contrary to public policy.

Added a prospective-only application clause: the act does not apply to any legal case pending on or before January 1, 2026.