Newsom’s obsession with social media lets AI run wild in California | Opinion

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has picked social media clean like a bear to a deer carcass, but he’s ignoring the real danger of unchecked artificial intelligence barreling towards us. As AI invades daily life, Newsom is AWOL when the dangers posed by AI are clear.

Newsom continues to frame social media as the greatest threat to children. Last week, Newsom came out in support of Assembly Bill 1709, authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, which would require platforms to ban users under 16.

“We have a generation that’s never been more anxious, less free, more stressed, and we have to address this issue,” Newsom said about the effects of A.I. to the Bee. “We need help. I think it’s long overdue that we’re having the debate we’re having now in the Legislature, and I’m very grateful the Legislature is taking this very seriously.”

Newsom isn’t wrong that social media can also be dangerous, but he has helped rein it in.

In September 2024, Newsom signed the Phone-Free School Act, which requires all California schools to implement policies to limit or prohibit smartphones by July of this year.

The same year, he signed the Protecting Our Kids From Social Media Addiction Act to change how social media feeds look and to prohibit notifications from appearing at night.

And starting next year, social media apps will display labels warning users that using these platforms can harm mental health.

This new bill simply recycles issues that have already been addressed. It’s a distraction — a loophole that lets Newsom appear proactive while sidestepping the urgent need to more strictly regulate AI. Platforms like Meta and X now use AI extensively, with little oversight on AI-generated content. AB 1709 is a backdoor attempt to regulate AI without naming it.

The bill is in its earlier stages in the legislature. Lowenthal would be wise to include language that addresses AI in these social media platforms.

By continuing to focus on social media instead of AI, Newsom puts Californians at real risk — AI is expanding into our lives faster than we can adapt.

AI is the real threat, and Newsom is ignoring it

A clear example of Newsom ignoring the real problem is his veto of AB 1064 last year. This bill would have required major AI companies to offer free AI detection tools for platforms with over 1 million monthly users, allowing people to determine if content was generated or altered by AI. It would’ve also allowed victims of AI Abuse the ability to file a civil lawsuit.

“While I strongly support the author’s goal of establishing necessary safeguards for the safe use of AI by minors,” Newsom wrote in his veto message,” AB 1064 imposes such broad restrictions on the use of conversational AI tools that it may unintentionally lead to a total ban on these products by minors. AI is already shaping the world, and it is imperative that adolescents learn how to safely interact with AI systems.”

Yet the governor is fine with a total ban on social media for minors?

AI chatbots are the now and the foreseeable future of California and, for that matter, the rest of the country. AI has been integrated in our society faster than any technology in recent history — it’s changing the way we communicate and influences every part of our day, from work to what we’d like to eat for dinner.

Big Tech will keep pushing AI deeper into our daily lives. California’s leaders must now shift their focus and act now, passing strong, thoughtful laws to protect us.

This story was originally published February 28, 2026 at 5:00 AM.