AI Regulation Tracker / Passed both houses

New Jersey Passes the Kids Code Act, Putting Algorithmic Design on the Hook for Minors

Regulatory summary: The New Jersey Legislature passed the New Jersey Kids Code Act (A4015) on June 30, 2026, adopting a state Age-Appropriate Design Code. The Assembly cleared it 73-5 and the Senate 37-3, and the bill has been sent to Governor Mikie Sherrill.

A4015 cleared both chambers on June 30 and now sits with Governor Sherrill. It regulates algorithmic recommendation systems, limits how minors' data can steer content, and bans targeting minors with ads for age-restricted products.

Primary source

By Anthony Guerriero, Founder, The Leveraged Years · Reviewed by The Leveraged Years Editorial Desk · Published July 9, 2026 · Last updated July 9, 2026

New Jersey Passes the Kids Code Act, Putting Algorithmic Design on the Hook for Minors regulation briefing

The Leveraged Years AI Regulation Tracker

Key takeaways

New Jersey joined the state Age-Appropriate Design Code wave with a bill that directly regulates algorithmic recommendation systems, caps the use of minors' personal data to rank or recommend content, bans targeted advertising to minors for narcotic drugs, tobacco, gambling, and alcohol, and imposes design duties aimed at preventing compulsive use.
Marketers and ad-tech teams running youth-adjacent campaigns, product and growth teams that own recommendation and feed logic, edtech and consumer platforms, social and media businesses, privacy counsel, and HR or compliance staff at youth-facing employers.
Status: Passed both houses June 30, 2026.
Inventory every place a minor's personal data feeds your recommendation or ad-selection logic, flag anything that is not tied to a user setting, search query, parental control, age verification, or the minor's express request, and draft the design-duty documentation you would need if the Governor signs.

Regulatory Briefing

Bindingness: Bill passed both houses, sent to Governor, not yet enacted. A4015 cleared the Assembly (73-5) and Senate (37-3) on June 30, 2026 and awaits action by Governor Sherrill. No legal duty attaches until the bill is enacted, and the substantive obligations are then delayed to the first day of the 13th month following enactment.
Scope: Covered online service providers doing business in New Jersey whose services are reasonably likely to be accessed by a child or minor, and that meet a size threshold (annual revenue above $25 million, adjusted annually, or processing the data of at least 25,000 consumers). Reaches social platforms, media and streaming apps, games, edtech, and consumer services with youth audiences.
What Changed: New Jersey joined the state Age-Appropriate Design Code wave with a bill that directly regulates algorithmic recommendation systems, caps the use of minors' personal data to rank or recommend content, bans targeted advertising to minors for narcotic drugs, tobacco, gambling, and alcohol, and imposes design duties aimed at preventing compulsive use.
Who This Affects: Marketers and ad-tech teams running youth-adjacent campaigns, product and growth teams that own recommendation and feed logic, edtech and consumer platforms, social and media businesses, privacy counsel, and HR or compliance staff at youth-facing employers.
Current Status: Passed both houses June 30, 2026. Sent to Governor Sherrill. Awaiting signature, veto, or lapse into law.
Effective Date: Not yet in force. If enacted, operative duties begin the first day of the 13th month following the date of enactment.
Primary Source: https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/A4500/4015_R3.HTM
Secondary Analysis: The bill sits inside a contested legal landscape. California's Age-Appropriate Design Code has been partly blocked on First Amendment grounds, and NetChoice has challenged similar youth-safety and design-code laws in several states. New Jersey's drafters leaned on data-practice and design-duty language rather than broad content judgments.
Workflow Impact: Recommendation systems, default privacy settings, age-assurance flows, and ad-targeting rules for minors move from product-discretion to documented-compliance work. Teams will need to show that any use of a minor's data to rank content maps to a permitted, user-driven basis, and that ad targeting excludes the banned categories for known or likely minors.
Operational Next Step: Inventory every place a minor's personal data feeds your recommendation or ad-selection logic, flag anything that is not tied to a user setting, search query, parental control, age verification, or the minor's express request, and draft the design-duty documentation you would need if the Governor signs.
Last Verified: July 9, 2026

Date	Jurisdiction	Rule	Affected professionals	Status or effective date
2026-07-09	United States	New Jersey joined the state Age-Appropriate Design Code wave with a bill that directly regulates algorithmic recommendation systems, caps the use of minors' personal data to rank or recommend content, bans targeted advertising to minors for narcotic drugs, tobacco, gambling, and alcohol, and imposes design duties aimed at preventing compulsive use.	Marketers and ad-tech teams running youth-adjacent campaigns, product and growth teams that own recommendation and feed logic, edtech and consumer platforms, social and media businesses, privacy counsel, and HR or compliance staff at youth-facing employers.	Passed both houses June 30, 2026. Sent to Governor Sherrill. Awaiting signature, veto, or lapse into law.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the New Jersey Kids Code Act law right now?

No. A4015 passed both houses on June 30, 2026 and has been sent to Governor Sherrill. It is not enacted, and no duty attaches unless and until it is signed or allowed to take effect.

When would the requirements actually start?

The bill sets its operative date as the first day of the 13th month following enactment. Even with a prompt signature, the compliance deadline would land roughly a year later.

Who has to comply if it is signed?

Covered online service providers doing business in New Jersey, meeting a size threshold of more than $25 million in annual revenue or data on at least 25,000 consumers, whose services are reasonably likely to be accessed by a child or minor.

Can a platform still personalize content for a minor?

Only on permitted, user-driven bases such as the minor's own settings, search queries, parental controls, age verification, or an express and unambiguous request for specific content or creators. Silent behavioral profiling to rank a minor's feed is what the bill restricts.

Does the advertising ban cover all ads to minors?

No. It targets specific categories: narcotic drugs, tobacco products, gambling, and alcohol. Providers must be able to suppress those categories for known or likely minors.