This section names the legislation as the "Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act." It serves as the title for the chapter addressing issues related to social media addiction among children.

This section explains the meanings of specific terms related to internet-based services and applications. An 'addictive feed' is a service where user-generated media is recommended or displayed based on user data, with certain exceptions such as media requested by the user or direct communications. An 'addictive internet-based service or application' is defined as one that includes an addictive feed, but does not include sites limited to commercial transactions or reviews, or those focused on cloud storage. Terms like 'media,' 'minor,' 'operator,' 'parent,' and 'user' are also defined, specifying that a minor is anyone under 18 in California, and operators are those who provide such internet services.

This law makes it illegal for operators of addictive internet-based services or applications to provide content likely to create dependency, called an 'addictive feed,' to users unless specific conditions are met. Starting in 2027, operators must ensure the user is not a minor unless they have been given verifiable parental consent to provide the feed. If operators collect information to verify a user's age or get parental consent, they can only use it for compliance reasons and must delete this information right after it's used, unless other laws require them to keep it.

This law makes it clear that operators of internet services or apps that might be addictive are not required to give parents extra access to or control over their child's accounts or data. Additionally, the law allows actions taken in good faith to limit access to certain media.

This law states that operators of internet services can choose not to serve minors, but they can't reduce the quality or raise the price just because users or parents are using their rights or protections under this chapter. If parents give consent for their children to use these services, it doesn't let companies off the hook from any responsibility for harm to a child's mental health. The protections offered by this law are on top of any others, including those in the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act.

This law requires companies that run addictive internet services or apps to share certain data every year. They must disclose how many minors use their service, how many have parental permission to access addictive content, and how many minors have safety controls enabled or not.

This law states that only the California Attorney General can enforce its rules through civil action. It requires the Attorney General to make rules by January 1, 2027, concerning age verification and parental consent, ensuring these measures align with the chapter's aim to protect minors.

The Attorney General might create exceptions to the regulations, but only if they also help protect minors. When making these rules, the Attorney General must seek public input about how the regulations may affect discrimination as per other relevant laws.

This section means that if any part of this chapter is found to be invalid or unenforceable for a person or situation, it does not affect the rest. The remaining parts of the chapter can still be enforced on their own. The law is designed so each part can stand independently.