380+ Pro-Kid Organizations Unite to Protect Kids Online

Click here to view a downloadable PDF version of the letter and signatories. 

September 2025 

The Honorable Gavin Newsom
Governor, State of California
1021 O Street, Suite 9000
Sacramento, CA 95814 

SUBJECT: Requesting signature on AB 1043 (Wicks) 

Dear Governor Newsom, 

We, the undersigned organizations, are pleased to support AB 1043 (Wicks), legislation that requires operating systems and app stores require parents (account holders) to input device users’ ages at device set up, and requires operating systems and/or app stores to share approximate users’ age to developers of online products and services. 

The mental health and well-being of youth is in crisis. The challenges that families have faced for generations are exacerbated and amplified by modern technology. Parents, schools, and governments are all grappling with the challenges of how to keep kids safe online. Simultaneously, connectivity provides opportunity for access to friends, family, community, and resources. 

For years tech platforms have intentionally disregarded the ages of young consumers to avoid state and federal laws designed to ensure safe online spaces for youth. AB 1043 closes the “actual knowledge” loophole that tech companies have exploited for years. For example, while federal law (the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA) requires platforms to obtain parental consent before collecting data from users under 13 and mandates that children’s data be deleted once it’s no longer needed, few companies have actually done this as they rely heavily on self-reporting by young people. Similarly, California’s Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CCPA) creates data privacy protections for known children under 13 and youth aged 13 to 16. AB 1043 imparts actual knowledge to app developers, making sure tech companies can no longer evade these laws protecting youth from predatory marketing and other commercial activities online.   

Alongside Assemblymember Wicks, bill sponsor Children Now has worked closely with a diverse group of stakeholders from youth-led organizations, family advocacy groups, LGBTQIA+ advocacy, and big and mid-sized tech to ensure the provisions of AB 1043 serve the needs of diverse communities and is practically feasible for implementation. This collaboration is evident from not only from the final support and opposition to the bill, but also from those groups that have taken a neutral position on its passage. 

The internet was not built with children in mind, and the lack of meaningful guardrails has left young users exposed to harmful content, manipulative design features, and inappropriate online interactions. Research indicates that unregulated digital environments have harmful impacts on children’s mental health, safety, and overall well-being. A Congressional Research Service report, for example, notes that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show that the percentage of high school students experiencing persistent sadness and considering suicide has increased over the last decade. 

While protecting privacy, AB 1043 will ensure that online platforms are held accountable to existing laws and provide age appropriate online experiences. AB 1043 marks an important step toward creating a developmentally safe online world that supports youths’ mental, emotional, and social development. 

For the reasons outlined, we urge you to support AB 1043 and sign the bill into law. 

Sincerely,
The Undersigned Organizations 

211 Tulare County
A Better Way, Inc.
A Coming of Age Foster Family Agency
Abbey of Saint Mary Theotokos, Inc.
Ability Awareness Project
AbilityPath
Adopt the Arts Foundation
Adorable Babies Jump Start Corporation
Advocates 4 Angels
Advocating Against Romance Scammers
Alder Graduate School of Education
Alex Rorabaugh Recreation Center
Alliance for Children’s Rights
Alliance of Relative Caregivers
Almaden Valley Counseling Service
American Indian Child Resource Center
American Society for the Positive Care of Children (SPCC)
American Sports Institute
Amundson Consulting
Applied Survey Research
Arbor Bay School
Arts Bridging the Gap
Asian Youth Center (AYC)
Aspiranet
Auntie Dobbie’s Kids
BANANAS, Inc.
Barbara Stroud Training and Consultation
Bay Area Academy
Bay Area Community Services
Bay Area Music Project
Bay Area STEM Ecosystem
Bay Area Tutoring Association and Code Writing Kids
Beach Cities Health District
Benevolence Health Centers
Bernard E. and Alba Witkin Charitable Foundation
Betty Ann Ong Foundation
Beyond Athletics Orange County
Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition
Black Students of California United
Bliss Belly Kitchen
BOSS, Inc.
Bounce Back Generation
Bourne and Associates
Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach
Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe
Boys & Girls Club of Moorpark & Simi Valley
Boys2Men Girls2Women
Bridge the Gap College Prep
California Alliance of Caregivers
California Arts Academy
California Behavioral Health Association
California Black Health Network
California Brain Tumor Association
California Community Action Partnership Association
California Counseling Associates
California Early Childhood Mentor Program
California Family Life Center
California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network
California Newsreel
California STEM Network
California Women Neutrals
Canary Health
Canoga Park Youth Arts Center
Canyon Children’s Legal Services
Casa Circulo Cultural
CASA of Fresno and Madera Counties
Caulder Lamm Alliance for Children, Inc.
Celia Center Inc
Center for Engineering, Science, and Mathematics Education – Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Center for Family Strengthening
Center for Farmworker Families
Center for Leadership, Equity, and Research (CLEAR)
Center for Reaching and Teaching the Whole Child
Central California Asthma Collaborative
Central Coast YMCA
Central Valley Immigration Integration Collaborative
Central Valley Recovery Services, Inc.
Central Valley Scholars
Centro Medico Community Clinic, Inc.
Chamber San Mateo County
Child Abuse Prevention Council of Contra Costa County
Children Now
Children’s Cancer Research Laboratory at USC
Children’s Cause Orange County
Children’s Receiving Home of Sacramento
Chinatown Service Center
Circulo de Vida Cancer Support and Resource Center
Civicorps
Coalition on Homelessness
CocoKids
Comisión Femenil of the San Fernando Valley
Community Access Center – Riverside
Community Equity Collaborative
Community Food Bank of San Benito County
Community Foundation of Merced County
Community Health Partnership of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties
Community Housing and Shelter Services
Community Institute for Psychotherapy
Community Partnership for Youth
Community Resource Center
Compassion Prison Project
Comprehensive Youth Services of Fresno, Inc.
Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE)
Contra Costa County Office of Education
Cookie Good
Cool OC
Cradle to Career Santa Cruz County
Crime Survivors, Inc.
Cultural Brokers, Inc.
Danger Aware
Determined to Succeed
Dovetail Learning
Early Education Action League
East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC) Fresno
Easterseals Southern California
EcoBirth – Women for Earth and Birth
EDMO (Edventure More)
Educare Services Inc.
Educate California
El Rescate
El Sol Science and Arts Academy
Elemental Synchronicity
Elementary Institute of Science
End Child Poverty in California (ECPCA)
Enriching Lives through Music
Ensuring Opportunity Campaign
Equal Rights Advocates
Equine Rescue Outakuntrol
EQuip Our Kids!
Escalon Children’s Services
Escuela de la Raza Unida
Every Neighborhood Partnership
Evolve California
Expressions of Hope
FACTS (Families Advocating for Chemical and Toxics Safety)
Family Connections
Family Support Network
Family Voices of California
First 5 Butte County
First 5 Fresno County
First 5 San Francisco
First 5 San Mateo County
First 5 Siskiyou Children and Families Commission / Siskiyou Child Abuse Prevention Council
First Congregational Church of Palo Alto
Footsteps Child Care, Inc.
Freedom 4 Youth
Freedom Forward
Fresno Council on Child Abuse Prevention
Fresno Metro Ministry
Friends of the Children L.A.
From the Heart Preschool and Enrichment Center
FundaMental Health
Galilee Center
Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council
Girls Inc. of Alameda County
Give Every Child A Chance
Give for a Smile
GJV4Kids
Global Hope 365
Good2Know Partners
Guardian Scholars, Santa Monica College
Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco
Hack the Hood
Head Start WEST
Healed Women Heal, Inc.
Healing Together
Health Care Integrated Services
Health Initiatives for Youth
Hearing Loss Association of America – Orange County Chapter
Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA)
Heisters Generative
Help Me Grow San Mateo County
Helpline Youth Counseling
Hemophilia Foundation of Southern California
Here to Serve
Hi Daddy Youth Foundation
Hillsides
Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley
Hively
Hmong Cultural Center of Butte County
Home Start, Inc.
Hub for Integration, Reentry & Employment (HIRE)
Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley
Humble Homes Resource Family Agency
Hunger at Home
iFoster, Inc.
I’m a Movement Not a Monument
In A Perfect World Foundation
Inland Empire Community Health Initiative (IE-CHI)
Inn at Mavericks
InPlay
InsideOUT Writers
Integrated Behavioral Health Research Institute
James Morehouse Project
Jameson Ranch Camp LLC
Janet Levine Consulting
JDM Advanced Advocacy
Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Long Beach and Orange County
Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties
JobTrain
Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency
Junior League of Palo Alto Mid Peninsula
Justice for Families
Kathrin Youth Advisory Commission
Kern County Network for Children
Khmer Girls in Action
Kid Power Academy
Kids Artistic Sense, Inc.
Kids in Common
Kidsave
Kinderdance East Bay
Koinonia Family Services
La Clinica de la Raza
Law Offices of Barbara A. Goode
Lazarex Cancer Foundation
Lead4Tomorrow
Litehouse Children and Family Services
Little Manila Rising
Little Pistachio Learning
Living/Dying Project
LMT & Associates, Inc.
Local Planning Council for Child Care Development for the County of Nevada
Lomi School Foundation
Love Thy Woman Foundation, Inc.
Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer
MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana
Madkins Family Childcare
Magnolia Project
Magnolia Public Schools
Margolis Consulting
Marin City Health and Wellness
Marin Interfaith Council
Mariposa Heritage House
Mariposa Museum and History Center, Inc.
mBOLDen Change
McGowan Advocacy Group
Mental Health and Recovery Counseling Education and Training (MHRCET)
Mission Graduates
Mostovoy Strategies
MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation
Mujeres Unidas y Activas
National Asian Pacific American Families Allied for Substance Awareness and Harm Reduction (NAPAFASA)
New Earth Organization
New Hope Chinese Cancer Care Foundation
Newman Hall Non Violent Peacemaking Group
Niswa Association, Inc.
North County LGBTQ Resource Center
North Star Family Center
Nuevo Amanecer Latino Children’s Services
Oakland Genesis
Oakland LGBTQ Community Center
One Heart At a Time Foundation
One Step A La Vez
ONEgeneration
Optimal Solutions Consulting
Orange County Child Care Association
Organization for Social Media Safety
Our Community LA (OCLA)
Outside The Lens
Pacific Community Solutions, Inc.
Pacific Pride Foundation
Parent Engagement Academy
Parents Helping Parents
Pathways LA
PEACH
Peninsula Youth Theatre
Persyn Law and Policy
Peter and Candis Doerken Foundation
Pettooth
Philippine International Aid
Placer Independent Resource Services
PLUS ME Project
Precious Life Shelter, Inc.
Promises2Kids
PS I Love You Foundation
PS Science
Rafiki Coalition for Health and Wellness
Raise The Barr
Realized Potential Inc.
Regarding Baby
Reinvent South Stockton Coalition
Restorative Community Solutions
Ringwood Grant Writers
Roots Education
S. Fitch Consulting LLC
Salesian Family Youth Center
Salinas League of United Latin American Citizens #2055
San Benito County Office of Education
San Diego Center for Children
San Diego Council on Literacy
San Diego for Every Child
San Fernando Community Health Center
San Joaquin Valley Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
San Joaquin Valley Medical Advocates for Healthy Air (MAHA)
Sandy Feet Initiative
Santa Barbara School of Squash
Santa Margarita Children’s Center
SAY San Diego
Second Chance for Women and Children Inc.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County
Secular Student Alliance
seeMYchild
Sententia Vera, LLC
Service Center for Independent Life (SCIL)
Shepherd’s Door Domestic Violence Resource Center
SHIELDS for Families
Silo Deliver Service
Simcha Preschool
Simply Friends
Sims Living
Smiling Calm Hearts Open Our Learning, Inc. (SCHOOL, Inc.)
Social Justice Learning Institute
Somali Bantu Association of America
Somali Family Service of San Diego
Sonya Heisters Consulting
Southside Coalition of Community Health Centers
Special Spirit, Inc.
SPIRITT Family Services
Strategies for Youth, Inc.
Successful Reentry
Tahoe Family Hearing Clinic
Teens4Teens Help
Ten Strands
The Aieste Star Foundation
The Alliance: Defending the Cause of Kids & Families
The Angels of Light Children’s Foundation
The BASIC Fund
The Bike Campaign
The Black Resiliency Project
The Carol and James Collins Foundation
The Center for Early Childhood Connections
The Changemaker Project
The Dragonfly Art for Life
The Eli Home for Abused Children
The Emilia Free Foundation
The Emily Shane Foundation
The Equine Healing Collaborative
The Family Spirit Center
The Latina Center
The Little Mud Puddles Learning Center, Inc.
The Parent Notebook
The Peter W. Doerken Foundation
The Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation
The Primary School – East Bay
The Primary School – East Palo Alto
The RightWay Foundation
The Salvador E. Alvarez Institute for Non-Violence
The SETI Institute
The Source LGBT+ Center
The Stephan Center
The Teen Project, Inc., Sanctuary Recovery Center
The Unity Council
The Village Method
Thomas House Family Shelter
Thriving Families CA (TFC) Foundation
TOOTRIS Child Care On-Demand
Tracy Community Connections Center, Inc.
Transition House
Transitions Children’s Services
UC Davis Upward Bound
Uneed2
United Cerebral Palsy of Central California
United Nations Association of the United States of America, San Diego Chapter
United Parents
Untitled No. 1 School
Urban Tilth
Valley Achievement Center
Venice Arts
Virtuel Works LLC
Vision To Learn
Waking the Village
Walk Intuit
Weaving Earth
West County Community Services
West Modesto Community Collaborative
Wilson-Dalzell Family Foundation
Word of Grace Chinese School
Worlds Alive Equine
YMCA of San Diego County
YMCA of San Joaquin County
Yolo Oral Health Coalition
Young Storytellers
Youth for Innocence
Youth Leadership Institute
Youth Recovery Connections
Youth Transforming Justice
Z.N.D. RESIDENTIAL, INC.