California Weighs Crackdown on Social Media for Kids Under 16

The home of the world’s highest-flying social media companies is considering a measure to clip their wings.

A bipartisan billin California would establish a minimum age requirement for social media accounts, curtailing the access of minors to platforms such as TikTok, Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube and Meta Platforms Inc.’s Instagram. The bill’s author, Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, says he’s looking to bar anyone under 16.

The proposed rules — which would rank among the toughest in the world — are setting up a clash between prominent Democrats and some of Silicon Valley’s most powerful companies. Governor Gavin Newsom, ...