Social media: warning labels.

The bill text was reformatted from an official chaptered document layout into a web page presentation with added navigation links (home, FAQ, sitemap, login, etc.) and a different visual structure. No policy language was changed.

The bill header was changed from the enrolled format (showing Assembly and Senate passage dates, clerk signatures, and blank governor receipt fields) to the chaptered format showing 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL,' Chapter 671, and the approval date of October 13, 2025.

Page numbering and headers were updated from the enrolled bill layout (page 91, header 'AB 56') to the chaptered statutory layout (page 90, header 'Ch. 671').

The blank governor signature line was filled in with the initial 'O' and the blank approval date fields were replaced with the actual date of October 13, 2025.

The definition of 'covered platform' in Section 28001(a) was simplified. The old version included both an incorporation by reference to Section 27000.5 AND three additional criteria (registered user accounts, user-generated content viewable by others, and primarily serving as a medium for interaction). The new version removes those three criteria entirely and relies solely on the existing statutory definition of 'addictive internet-based service or application' from the addiction act.

By removing the independent three-part definition and relying only on the Section 27000.5 definition, the bill's applicability now tracks whatever platforms qualify as 'addictive internet-based services or applications' under existing law. This could change which platforms are covered depending on how that term is interpreted or amended in the future.

The term 'social media covered platform' was replaced with simply 'covered platform' throughout the bill text and digest, removing the redundant 'social media' qualifier.

Senator Weber Pierson was added as a coauthor of the bill.

A minor drafting error appears in Section 28000 where 'known' is inserted into the citation clause ('shall be known, and may be cited, known as'), which appears to be a typo.

The duration of the black box warning displayed after 3 hours of cumulative active use was reduced from at least 90 seconds to at least 30 seconds, significantly shortening how long users must view the warning before it can be dismissed.

The screen space requirement for repeated warnings was reworded from 'occupies at between 75 percent and 100 percent of the screen' to 'occupies at least 75 percent of the screen,' removing the explicit upper bound language while maintaining the same minimum.

A new provision (section 28002(d)) states that nothing in the chapter shall be interpreted to serve as the basis for a private right of action under this chapter or any other law, effectively preventing individuals from suing platforms for violations.

A new provision (section 28002(f)) specifies that the chapter shall become operative on January 1, 2027, giving platforms approximately a year and a half to comply after the bill takes effect.

A severability clause (section 28002(e)) was added, stating that if any provision or its application is held invalid, the remaining provisions continue in effect.

The standard for when a platform may use the less restrictive warning format (10 seconds, 25 percent of screen) for users over 17 was changed from 'actual knowledge that a user is over 17' to 'actual knowledge reasonably determined that a user is over 17,' lowering the burden on platforms to qualify for the lighter warning.

A new exemption was added: covered platforms are not required to display the black box warning to a user if they have reasonably determined the user is over 17 years of age. This effectively limits the warning requirement to users 17 and under.

The minimum display duration for the recurring black box warning (shown after 3 hours of use and then hourly) was reduced from at least 90 seconds to at least 30 seconds.

The standard for determining a user's age was changed from 'actual knowledge reasonably determined' to simply 'reasonably determined,' lowering the threshold platforms must meet to qualify for the over-17 exemption.

The provision allowing the Director of the State Department of Public Health to adopt regulations modifying the warning text was removed. The warning language is now fixed as written in the statute with no regulatory flexibility.

Senator Rubio was added as a coauthor, and the fiscal committee designation was changed from 'yes' to 'no,' indicating the bill no longer triggers fiscal committee review.

The initial daily black box warning (shown when a user first accesses the platform) was reduced from 90 seconds with 75-100 percent screen coverage to just 10 seconds with at least 25 percent screen coverage. Users can now dismiss it early by clicking an X icon or clicking through before 10 seconds pass.

The warning text was changed from 'The Surgeon General has advised that there are ample indicators that social media can have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents' to 'The Surgeon General has warned that while social media may have benefits for some young users, social media is associated with significant mental health harms and has not been proven safe for young users.' The new language is more measured and acknowledges potential benefits.

The liability protection clause was expanded to clarify that a user's affirmative dismissal of the notice (via the new X button) does not waive, release, or limit any claim, including failure-to-warn claims. This protects users who dismiss the initial warning from having their legal rights affected.

The bill now requires fiscal committee review (changed from 'no' to 'yes'), indicating a potential state spending or revenue impact that was not previously identified.

Assembly Member Wicks moved from coauthor to primary author alongside Bauer-Kahan. Assembly Members Kalra and Papan were added as coauthors.

The initial daily warning display requirement was reduced from 90 seconds at 75-100 percent of screen with no bypass, to 10 seconds at at least 25 percent of screen with the user able to click through before 10 seconds pass.

A new second-tier warning requirement was added: after 3 hours of cumulative active use and thereafter hourly, the platform must display the warning for at least 90 seconds occupying 75-100 percent of the screen with no bypass or click-through option.

The required warning text was expanded. It now reads 'The Surgeon General has warned' (changed from 'advised') and adds a second sentence: 'while social media may have benefits for some young users, social media is associated with significant mental health harms and has not been proven safe for young users.'

The Director of the State Department of Public Health is now authorized to adopt regulations to modify the black box warning text in furtherance of the chapter's purposes.

The fiscal committee vote changed from 'no' to 'yes,' reflecting the new regulatory authority that may require state funding for rulemaking.

Three additional coauthors were added: Assembly Members Lowenthal, Ortega, and Wicks.

The term 'social media platform' is replaced throughout with 'covered platform,' which is now defined by cross-reference to Section 27000.5 (addictive internet-based service or application) rather than by a standalone definition in the bill itself.

A new subsection 28001(b) explicitly excludes from the definition of 'covered platform' any website or app whose primary function is: sale of goods or services, cloud storage, electronic mail, private direct messaging without public content, internal organizational communication, or internal collaboration tools not offered to the general public.

A new age-based exemption in Section 28002(a)(2)(B)(ii) allows a covered platform that has actual knowledge a user is over 17 years of age to display the recurring warning (after 3 hours of use) using the shorter format: at least 10 seconds, dismissible by clicking an X, and occupying only 25 percent of the screen, instead of the mandatory 90-second non-dismissible 75-100 percent screen display.

A grammatical error in Section 28002(c) is corrected: 'does or' is changed to 'or' in the sentence about waiver of claims.

Added a new Chapter 25 (Sections 28000-28002) to Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code, creating the 'Social Media Warning Law' as a standalone regulatory framework.

Added extensive legislative findings citing Surgeon General reports, research on mental health harms to youth, internal company documents from lawsuits, and the global use of black box warnings as justification for the law.

Defined 'social media platform' as an internet website or medium that allows registered users to create, share, and view user-generated content and interact with other users' content.

Required social media platforms to display a black box warning when a user first accesses the platform each day, again after 3 hours of cumulative active use, and at least once per hour thereafter.

Specified that the warning must be displayed for at least 90 seconds, cannot be bypassed or clicked through, must be clear and legible, and must occupy between 75 percent and 100 percent of the screen or window.

Mandated specific warning text from the 2023 Surgeon General's Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, displayed in black text on a white background.

Added a provision stating that displaying the required notice does not waive, release, or limit any claim (including failure-to-warn claims) except claims based on a violation of this section itself.