California bill to protect children online heads to Governor’s desk

Yesterday, California’s state senate passed the Age Appropriate Design Code Act – a crucial step towards making the Internet a better place for kids. This bill requires tech companies to think about the impact their online platforms will have on kids before kids can log on, and design their sites and apps with kids in mind.

Specifically, the bill will rein in the use of features that facilitate device addiction, and require privacy settings to be strong by default. The bill also includes a data minimization standard – prohibiting the collection, sale, retention or use of any personal information beyond what is needed to deliver the product or services kids and their parents are expecting to get. 

This is an important step forward in regulating the web-enabled platforms that have shaped so much of our lives – especially the lives of our youngest citizens who now use the Internet to do homework, play games, and socialize with friends. 

The bill now sits on the Governor’s desk, and he should make no delay in signing it and getting these protections on the books.