The New York Times reports:

California’s governor on Thursday signed into law restrictions on addictive social media technology and interactions with harmful artificial intelligence chatbots, ushering in some of the strongest online protections for young users in the United States.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed a bill that prohibits social media platforms from providing addictive features to users under the age of 16, the first law of its kind in the nation. He also signed a new law mandating that A.I. companies disclose to young users whenever they engage with a chatbot, not a human, and restrict dangerous content on topics like self-harm.

The measures are among more than a dozen digital safety laws the governor signed on Thursday, saying it was too hard for parents alone to protect their children from powerful algorithms. “It’s a good day for our children,” Mr. Newsom said at the signing ceremony. “It’s a good day for the state of California.”