United States of America: Social Media Warning Law enters into force (AB 56 / Chapter 671)

On 1 January 2027, the Social Media Warning Law, established by Assembly Bill No. 56 (Social Media: Warning Labels), enters into force in California. Codified under Chapter 25 of Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code, the Law requires covered social media platforms to display a black-box warning to users each day they initially access the platform, after three hours of cumulative active use, and at least once per additional hour of use. The warning must reproduce text from the United States Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms and has not been proven safe for young users. The Law authorises the California Department of Public Health to revise the warning text by regulation, exempts platforms that have reasonably determined a user is over 17 years of age, and clarifies that the statute does not create a private right of action. It applies to covered platforms as defined in Section 27000.5 of the Health and Safety Code and includes a severability clause.