Press Release

Governor Newsom Signs Adam’s Law

SAN FRANCISCO - Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 1119, Adam's Law, establishing the most comprehensive digital protections for children interacting with AI companion chatbots in the United States. The bill’s authors Senator Steve Padilla (D - San Diego), Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D - Oakland), and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D - Orinda) were joined by Maria Raine, a chatbot safety advocate and mother to Adam Raine, at the bill’s signing ceremony today.

Adam's Law makes California the first state in the nation to enact a comprehensive regulatory framework governing AI chatbots and children. Its authors — Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, and Senator Steve Padilla — have set a national benchmark for what these protections should look like, at a time when chatbot use among minors is climbing and the products have been linked to self-harm and suicide.

The bill, the result of relentless advocacy from lawmakers, families, and safety experts, sets a new national standard for the protections parents should expect when their children are online. It is named after Adam Raine, a California teenager who tragically died in 2025 after ChatGPT coached him to end his life.

“Our children’s safety deserves to be at the center of every conversation about technology. As innovation moves faster our protections must keep pace,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “Today’s legislation makes clear that California will not stand by while unregulated technology puts our children at risk. Innovation comes with responsibility and protecting our children comes first.”

“We thank Governor Newsom for signing this bill into law,” said Matt and Maria Raine, Adam’s parents. “It is a very well thought out and significant step towards ensuring AI chatbot safety for our children. We still have not adjusted to life without Adam, but we are pleased that an element of his legacy is to help make AI chatbots safer for minors. We believe the risks of unregulated AI companionship rank right up there with other more discussed AI risks, and we are confident Adam’s Law will save lives and prevent other harms.”

"Adam's Law sets a new national standard for what we owe our children online,” said Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan. “For too long, tech has put profit ahead of our children’s safety. Adam's Law changes that, and I'm proud to have fought for it not just as a legislator, but as a parent. These protections are an incredible victory for kids and families."

“As a parent, I want to be able to trust that the products my kids use are designed with their safety in mind — and every parent deserves that peace of mind,” said Assemblymember Wicks. “Adam’s Law gives California families stronger protections and makes clear that when it comes to our kids, safety has to come first. I’m so proud to see this become law, and even prouder of what it will mean for kids and families across California.”

“We cannot make the same mistakes that were made with social media,” said Senator Padilla. ”California is filling the void created by Washington inaction, taking bold action to protect our children and setting a standard for the rest of the country. I am so grateful to my legislative partners Assemblymembers Bauer-Kahan and Wicks for their collaboration, to the Raine Family for their incredible strength and advocacy, and to the Governor for making these protections law. Adam’s Law will save the lives of children here in California and across the country as it becomes a national model.”

The new law builds on SB 243 (Padilla, 2025) by expanding baseline disclosure and self-harm detection rules, restores the "safe-by-design" framework originally proposed in AB 1064 (Bauer-Kahan, 2025) to ban harmful chatbot behaviors, and directly integrates with AB 1043 (Wicks, 2025) to mandate the use of OS-level, privacy-protective age signals for minors. Adam's Law unites and strengthens these approaches, giving California the strongest child safety protections for chatbots in the country.

Adam’s Law will require:

  • Mandatory age assurance using the privacy protective age-bracket signal required pursuant to AB 1043 (Wicks, 2025).
  • Mandatory risk assessments before the release of a new or substantially modified companion chatbot.
  • Timely in-app crisis support requiring platforms to provide referrals to mental health resources, as well as provisions requiring notice to a parent if there is a credible threat of imminent self-harm, or the operator is aware the child engaged in self-harm.
  • Default settings that can only be changed by a parent, including no notifications, time limits on usage, and limitations on persistent conversational memory. 
  • Liability for failure to take reasonable measures to prevent several categories of harmful outputs, including self-harm, sexually explicit material, romantic roleplaying, excessive praise or flattery, and emotionally manipulative outputs that tend to foster reliance and promote isolation from friends and family – building on the provisions of last year’s AB 1064 (Bauer-Kahan).
  • Requirement to implement an incident reporting mechanism, overseen by the Attorney General.
  • Strict limitations on targeted advertising to children in conversational chats.
  • Privacy protections that go well beyond the California Consumer Protection Act.
  • Mandatory independent audits of operator compliance, with findings submitted to the California Attorney General.
  • A private right of redress for families harmed by violations relating to crisis referral services, parental notice, default protections, and prohibitions on harmful outputs.

Adam’s Law passed the Senate unanimously and the Assembly with bipartisan support by a vote of 64 to 4 at the end of August.

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Steve Padilla represents the 18th Senate District, which includes the communities of Chula Vista, the Coachella Valley, Imperial Beach, the Imperial Valley, National City, and San Diego. Prior to his election to the Senate in 2022, Senator Padilla was the first person of color ever elected to city office in Chula Vista, the first Latino Mayor, and the first openly LGBT person to serve or be elected to city office. Website of Senator Steve Padilla: https://sd18.senate.ca.gov/

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks represents California’s 14th Assembly District, which includes all or portions of the cities of Oakland, Richmond, Berkeley, Piedmont, Albany, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Pinole, El Sobrante, Hercules, Kensington, and Rodeo. She currently serves as Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. You can learn more about Assemblymember Wicks at http://a14.asmdc.org

Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan has represented California’s 16th Assembly District since 2018, serving East Bay communities including Orinda, Walnut Creek, Livermore, and Pleasanton. An environmental attorney and former law professor, she has championed legislation on environmental protection, reproductive rights, mental health, civil liberties, and consumer privacy. She currently chairs the Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection, where she helps guide California’s approach to AI regulation. Website of Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan: https://bauer-kahan.asmdc.org/