Article Source:  CA Secretary of State

Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation: Child Safety Requirements For Artificial Intelligence Products. Prohibits Smartphones In Schools. Initiative Statute.

 

Sacramento, Calif. – California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber Ph.D. announced that the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures on December 26, 2025.

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent(s) and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides a calendar of deadlines to the proponent(s) and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

CHILD SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PRODUCTS. PROHIBITS SMARTPHONES IN SCHOOLS. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Requires risk assessments and risk labels for artificial intelligence (AI) products likely to be used by children. Prohibits distribution to children of AI products that present an “unacceptable risk,” including certain “companion chatbots” (AI software that simulates humanlike relationships). Extends prohibition on selling or sharing personal data without consent to all children under 18 (up from 16). Authorizes new monetary penalties in lawsuits for actual harm to children caused by AI or social media products. Prohibits student use of personal smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets at school. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Increased state regulatory and enforcement costs potentially in the tens of millions of dollars annually to regulate certain AI products related to children and process court cases seeking monetary awards allowed by the measure for violation of its provisions. Some or all of these costs would be offset by regulatory fees or monetary awards received by the state. (25-0025A1.)

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 2002 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 25-0025A1.

The proponent of the measure, James P. Steyer, must collect signatures of 546,651 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 general election) in order for the measure to become eligible for the ballot. The proponent has 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than June 24, 2026. The address for the proponent is c/o James C. Harrison and Kristen Mah Rogers, Olson Remcho, LLP, 555 Capitol Mall, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814. The proponent may also be contacted at (916) 442-2952, jharrison@olsonremcho.com, and krogers@olsonremcho.com.

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