FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Contact: Matt Roman, [email protected], 617-835-3167
Over 380 Organizations Demand Governor Newsom Protect Kids’ Mental Health Online
The Children’s Movement letter demonstrates widespread support for kids’ online safety and privacy
OAKLAND, CA –
Yesterday, through The Children’s Movement of California, over 380 organizations sent this letter to Governor Newsom urging him to sign AB 1043 (Wicks) and keep kids safer online while dramatically helping their mental health.
“This Pro-Kid bill is a huge step towards protecting kids from harmful online behavior and should serve as a national model for keeping kids safe online,” said Ted Lempert, President of Children Now, which coordinates the Children’s Movement. “Online experiences are exacerbating our youth mental health crisis and it is critical that Governor Newsom listens to this unified call from diverse organizations across California and signs AB 1043 into law.”
AB 1043, authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and sponsored by Children Now, establishes a concrete way to create online environments that support kids while protecting their privacy and access to connection. By requiring manufacturers of devices such as cell phones to verify a user’s age and share that age with all online products and services that require age verification for access, AB 1043 ensures online platforms provide age-appropriate experiences for kids. The bill passed out of the California legislature with broad, bipartisan support and now awaits Governor Newsom’s decision to sign or veto.
The Children’s Movement is the largest and most diverse children’s advocacy network in the country, composed of more than 6,000 direct service, business, labor, parent, student, civil rights, faith, and community groups from across California that care about kids and want to see public policies that prioritize them.
“This collective demand of over 380 organizations sends a powerful message that Governor Newsom should sign AB 1043 into law and protect kids’ mental health online,” said Lempert. “California can and must be a leader on supporting kids’ well-being online and prioritizing their mental health, and AB 1043 is a critical step towards achieving that goal.”
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By employing a game-changing, whole-child (pre-natal to age 26), antiracist, connector model, Children Now harnesses collective power to achieve transformational and systemic results for California’s kids, so that all children have the services and supports they need to reach their full potential. Children Now also coordinates The Children’s Movement of California, the most powerful and diverse advocacy network in the country, with over 6,000 organizations across the state that care about kids and help drive policy changes through collective action campaigns.
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