California Governor Gavin Newsom is stuck between two of the state’s biggest industries as he decides what to do with a new kids’ safety bill. The plan has support from tech companies like Google and Meta, but now Hollywood is pushing back hard in a fight that could set the standard for protecting children online across the country.
The bill, written by state Assembly member Buffy Wicks, wants to add digital age checks to keep kids safe from certain apps and features. After months of talks, Wicks got tech companies that used to fight each other to agree on a plan. Users would type in their birth dates when setting up devices. The plan doesn’t ask for photo IDs and doesn’t need parents to say yes for app downloads. This helped ease worries about privacy while still making sure platforms do their part.
But Wicks said everyone needs to join in for the system to work. “We’re trying to create an entire ecosystem around an age-signaling process and verification process so that developers have a better sense of who is on their platform,” she said, as per Politico. “Everyone has to participate in that for it to be effective.”
Hollywood Fights Back At The Last Minute
The Motion Picture Association, which speaks for big studios like Paramount, Amazon, Netflix, and Disney, started a last-minute push against the bill. In a letter to Newsom, the MPA said the new rules would mess up safety features that already exist, like kid-friendly profiles on streaming services.
They also worried it could make things harder for family accounts where parents and kids have different settings. Netflix has been working hard against the age check rules, say several people who know about the company’s work.
The entertainment world’s pushback could stop what supporters see as a big win. Jim Steyer, who runs Common Sense Media, said he’s gotten calls from worried entertainment companies. But he still thinks the bill is needed. “Some of the Hollywood people don’t like it,” Steyer said. “Having said it: it’s coming. So get used to it.”
The timing makes things tough for Newsom. He just gave $750 million in tax credits to help California’s film industry, which is having a hard time right now. Mathew Littman, a consultant from Los Angeles who used to work with President Joe Biden, pointed out why this matters. “Right now, the entertainment industry is in a bit of a recession. Silicon Valley is not. So you do have to be careful about doing anything that further harms the entertainment industry,” he said.
Published: Oct 9, 2025 01:14 pm