Assembly Bill 963 establishes new regulations for social media platforms with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion regarding the management of accounts held by minors, defined as individuals under 18 years of age who are not emancipated. The bill mandates that these platforms implement reasonable measures to estimate the age of account holders, with specific confidence thresholds determining whether an account holder is treated as a minor. Notably, if an account has been continuously held for at least seven years, the age estimation requirements do not apply. Additionally, the bill requires platforms to obtain verifiable parental consent before creating or maintaining accounts for minors and to set the default privacy settings to the highest level for these accounts.

The legislation also outlines various restrictions on the content and features available to minor accounts, including prohibiting addictive features like infinite scrolling and profile-based feeds, as well as preventing profile-based commercial advertising. Social media platforms are required to terminate accounts if they determine or have reasonable grounds to believe that the account holder is a minor, unless parental consent is obtained. Enforcement of these provisions falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, which can investigate violations and impose penalties, including civil forfeitures and damages. The bill aims to enhance the protection of minors in the digital space by holding social media platforms accountable for their practices.