No More TikTok FYP? California’s Social Media Law Could Completely Change Kids’ Online World

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Friday that could completely change how kids in the state use social media. Among the potential changes: a requirement that could effectively change the TikTok “For You Page” as minors now know it.

SB976 is set to take effect in 2027 in the state that is home to many of the largest tech companies. It has two main components. First, it prohibits social media platforms from delivering “addictive feeds” — defined as feeds based on information provided by a user or collected about them — to minors with parental consent. Second, it prohibits social media platforms from sending notifications to minors (without parental consent) between 12 p.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays during the school year.

In short, Minors’ feeds would have to be chronological feeds of people they followed. That would mean no more “You Page” on TikTok or other such algorithmic recommendation-based feeds.

“Every parent knows the damage social media addiction can do to children — the isolation from human contact, the stress and anxiety, and the endless hours wasted late into the night,” Newsom said in a statement via the Associated Press. “With this bill, California is helping to protect children and teens from the deliberately designed features that fuel these destructive habits.”

It’s worth noting that the law makes the aforementioned actions against minors illegal “unless the operator has no actual knowledge that the user is a minor,” which seems to leave some room for minors to bypass the potential regulations. However, the bill’s authors note that the state’s attorney general would have to implement age verification and parental consent provisions by 2027, although it’s still unclear what those would look like.

Of course, TikTok is already embroiled in a legal battle with the U.S. government, so there’s a chance it won’t even exist in the U.S. by 2027. But regardless of what the social media landscape looks like in a few years, this law will fundamentally change how platforms operate.

This LA Times reported that the bill has an “extraordinary group of opponents,” including the ACLU of California, Equality California, and associations representing tech giants like TikTok and Meta. While the bill would have a huge impact on how kids use social media, it seems reasonable to assume there will be a legal battle between now and 2027.