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<ns0:Id>20250AB__170098AMD</ns0:Id>
<ns0:VersionNum>98</ns0:VersionNum>
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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-03</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:ActionText>AMENDED_ASSEMBLY</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-03-19</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Members Lowenthal, Alvarez, Bauer-Kahan, Bonta, Hoover, Muratsuchi, Patterson, and Wicks</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:AuthorText authorType="COAUTHOR_ORIGINATING">(Coauthors: Assembly Members Arambula, Johnson, and Schiavo)</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:AuthorText authorType="COAUTHOR_OPPOSITE">(Coauthor: Senator Allen)</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Lowenthal</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Alvarez</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Bauer-Kahan</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Bonta</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Name>Hoover</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Muratsuchi</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Patterson</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Wicks</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Arambula</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Johnson</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Name>Schiavo</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Allen</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to add Chapter 5.4 (commencing with Section 11530) to Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, relating to online safety.</ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>online safety</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>e-Safety Commission: youth online protection.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law, the Digital Age Assurance Act, requires, beginning January 1, 2027, an operating system provider to provide an accessible interface at account setup that requires an accountholder to indicate the birth date, age, or both, of the user of that device for the purpose of providing a signal regarding the user’s age bracket to applications available in a covered application store, among other things related to providing a uniform system for obtaining age information about a user of certain software applications. Existing law defines “user” for these purposes to mean a child that is the primary user of the device.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would establish the
e-Safety Commission, as specified, and would require the commission to develop minimum age compliance guidelines for covered entities, as defined, review age assurance technologies used to implement the minimum age verification, and establish procedures for noncompliance investigations. The bill would require, on or before January 1 of each year, the commission to report to the Legislature and the Governor on its activities pursuant to the bill, as specified.</html:p>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Current laws do not uniformly prevent underage individuals from accessing certain online services or platforms.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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A state entity is needed to oversee, coordinate, and enforce age verification practices to protect minors while respecting privacy and security.
</html:p>
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<ns0:BillSection id="id_CA62B26B-04E2-4178-B6FC-421475AE8189">
<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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Chapter 5.4 (commencing with Section 11530) is added to Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the
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, to read:
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<ns0:Num>5.4.</ns0:Num>
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<ns0:LawHeadingText>e-Safety Commission</ns0:LawHeadingText>
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<ns0:Num>11530.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>As used in this chapter:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
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“Commission” means the e-Safety Commission established pursuant to this chapter.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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“Covered entity” means a person or organization providing online services subject to a law that pertains to the minimum age.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
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“Minimum age” means 16 years of age.
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<ns0:Num>11530.1.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
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The e-Safety Commission is hereby established within the ____ and composed of all of the following members:
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<html:p>
(1)
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A member of academia appointed by the Governor and subject to Senate confirmation.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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A technologist appointed by the Governor and subject to Senate confirmation.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
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A member of civil society appointed by the Governor and subject to Senate confirmation.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
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An expert in technology ethics appointed by the Governor and subject to Senate confirmation.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
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An expert in
education appointed by the Governor and subject to Senate confirmation.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(6)
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A member of academia with expertise in artificial intelligence appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(7)
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A member of academia with expertise in social science appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(8)
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Two members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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A member of the commission shall meet all of the following criteria:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The member shall be free of direct and indirect external influence and shall not seek or take instructions from another.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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The member shall not take an action or engage in an occupation, whether gainful or not,
that is incompatible with the member’s duties.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
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The member shall not, either at the time of the member’s appointment or during the member’s term, have a financial interest in an entity that is subject to regulation by the commission.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
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The member shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority for a maximum of eight consecutive years.
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<ns0:Num>11530.2.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The commission shall do all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Develop minimum age compliance guidelines for covered entities.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Review age assurance technologies used to implement the minimum age verification.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Establish procedures for noncompliance investigations.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
On or before January 1 of each year, the commission shall report to the Legislature, pursuant to Section 9795, and the Governor on all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The commission’s activities under this chapter.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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Compliance rates among covered entities.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
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Enforcement actions taken and proposed statutory changes.
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