TL;DR
A broad slate of state laws addressing AI transparency, repairs, privacy and youth social media limits begins taking effect in 2026. Several measures are already facing court challenges or could collide with federal actions, leaving enforcement and scope uncertain.
What happened
Throughout 2025, multiple U.S. states passed tech-related statutes that begin to take effect in 2026, creating a diverse regulatory landscape for companies and consumers. California’s package includes SB 53, which requires large AI firms to publish safety and security information and offers whistleblower protections, along with bills addressing companion chatbots (SB 243) and law enforcement disclosure of AI use (SB 524). Colorado’s right-to-repair law (HB24-1121) and new crypto ATM protections (SB25-079) start this year. Washington and Colorado both advance repair-rights rules. States from Idaho to Michigan enacted anti‑SLAPP measures, while a series of privacy and consumer rules — from Indiana and Kentucky’s data frameworks to Maine’s click-to-cancel law — also come online. Several provisions limit features for minors, curb nonconsensual deepfakes, expand breach notification scope, and target ticket‑scalping tools. Some high-profile measures, notably Texas’ App Store age-verification rule, are temporarily blocked by courts, and several other laws face likely legal and political challenges.
Why it matters
- States are filling a federal legislative void, producing a patchwork of differing tech requirements companies must navigate.
- New consumer protections affect device repairs, digital payments at crypto ATMs, privacy rights and limits on youth-targeted product features.
- AI-specific rules — transparency mandates, restrictions on certain uses, and disclosure obligations — set tests for how far states can regulate the technology.
- Ongoing court battles and potential federal pushback mean which rules survive or how they’ll be enforced remains unsettled.
Key facts
- California’s SB 53 (AI transparency) and companion bills SB 243 (companion chatbots) and SB 524 (law enforcement disclosure) took effect January 1, 2026.
- Colorado’s comprehensive right-to-repair law (HB24-1121) and a crypto ATM consumer-protection bill (SB25-079) also began enforcing on January 1.
- Texas’ SB 2420, which would have required app-store age verification and passing age info to developers, is blocked by a district court injunction; Texas enacted HB 149, an AI framework that bans certain harmful uses.
- Virginia’s SB 854 mandates age verification and limits social media use for under-16s to one hour per app per day, subject to parental adjustment; it is being litigated.
- Several states enacted data privacy laws following a so-called 'Virginia model' (Indiana, Kentucky, Rhode Island), which advocacy groups criticized in a 2025 PIRG/EPIC report.
- Oregon enacted multiple bills: HB 2299 (deepfakes included in nonconsensual sexual imagery ban), HB 2008 (limits on selling data and targeting minors with ads), and HB 3167 (banning software that facilitates ticket‑scalping bots).
- Nebraska’s LB 504 and similar laws aim to enforce 'age-appropriate design' limits on features for children, though comparable rules have faced legal pushback in other states.
- March 19, 2026: New York’s RAISE Act, pared down from earlier versions, takes effect; March 24, 2026: Michigan’s anti-SLAPP and anti-bot 'Taylor Swift' bills become effective.
- The federal Take It Down Act criminalized distribution of AI-generated nonconsensual intimate imagery in 2025 but included a contested platform takedown requirement that drew concerns about censorship and enforcement.
What to watch next
- Texas’ likely appeal of the App Store age-verification injunction to the Fifth Circuit, which could reverse the district court ruling (this appeal was indicated in the source).
- Court challenges to Virginia’s youth social-media time limits and to other state rules that restrict app design or require content takedowns — several laws are already being litigated.
- The broader clash between state AI regulation and the federal executive branch’s efforts to limit state-level AI rules, a fight the source says is expected to play out in 2026.
- Specific enforcement mechanics and timelines for the Take It Down Act’s platform takedown obligations — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Right to repair: Laws requiring manufacturers to provide parts, tools or documentation so consumers and independent shops can fix electronic devices.
- AI transparency: Rules that compel companies to disclose information about AI systems’ design, safety measures and use, aimed at accountability.
- Anti‑SLAPP law: Statutes intended to deter or dismiss lawsuits filed to silence or punish public participation and criticism.
- Age‑appropriate design: Regulatory standards that limit features such as notifications, purchases or addictive patterns in apps when used by children.
- Nonconsensual intimate imagery: Sexual or intimate images shared without the subject’s consent, which some laws now specifically cover when created or manipulated by AI.
Reader FAQ
Which notable laws began taking effect January 1, 2026?
California’s AI transparency and chatbot bills, Colorado’s right-to-repair and crypto ATM protections, and a range of other state privacy and consumer measures took effect on January 1, 2026.
Is Texas’ App Store age‑verification rule in force?
No. A district court issued a preliminary injunction blocking the rule; Texas is likely to appeal.
Will these state AI rules survive federal action?
The source reports the federal administration aims to limit or ban state AI laws, and the outcome is expected to be contested in 2026; the final result is not confirmed in the source.
Does the Take It Down Act require platforms to remove AI‑generated intimate images immediately?
The act includes a platform takedown requirement that raised concerns about enforcement and censorship, but specific operational details and timelines are not confirmed in the source.
POLICY REPORT ANALYSIS Meet the new tech laws of 2026 Coming into force this year: AI regulations galore, a teen social media lockdown, and “Taylor Swift” laws. by Adi Robertson…
Sources
- Meet the new tech laws of 2026
- New laws in 2026 target AI and deepfakes, paid leave …
- From A.I. to Immigration, These New State Laws Will Take …
- NEW IN 2026: California laws taking effect in the new year
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