Donate
Bills

AB 2426: Online platforms: educational children’s content.

  • Session Year: 2025-2026
  • House: Assembly
  • Latest Version Date: 2026-03-19

Current Status:

In Progress

(2026-04-09: In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.)

Introduced

In Committee

First Chamber

In Committee

Second Chamber

Enacted

Version:

Existing law establishes the Department of Consumer Affairs to, among other things, protect consumer interests and regulate specified businesses. Existing law requires a business that provides an online service, product, or feature likely to be accessed by children to comply with specified requirements, including configuring all default privacy settings provided to children to settings that offer a high level of privacy. Existing law prohibits an operator of an internet website, online service, online application, or mobile application directed to minors from marketing or advertising specified products or services to a minor.

This bill would enact the California Childrens Digital Educational Content Act of 2026, which would require a covered platform, as defined, to establish and maintain a walled garden. The bill would define a walled garden as a clearly designated and easily accessible section of a platform that is dedicated exclusively to educational childrens content, as defined. The bill would require a walled garden to meet certain requirements, including that it be free from targeted advertising and be accessible to minors without an account. The bill would authorize the department to adopt regulations to implement these provisions.

The bill would require a covered platform to annually submit a compliance report to the department and would authorize the department to conduct audits. The bill would impose specified administrative penalties for violation of its provisions.

The Consumers Legal Remedies Act makes unlawful certain unfair methods of competition and certain unfair or deceptive acts or practices undertaken by a person in a transaction intended to result or that results in the sale or lease of goods or services to a consumer. These include, among others, charging or receiving an unreasonable fee to prepare, aid, or advise a prospective applicant, applicant, or recipient in the procurement, maintenance, or securing of public social services, including veteran services.This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to those provisions.

News Coverage:

AB 2426: Online platforms: educational children’s content. | Digital Democracy