Early Learning Personal Information Protection Act
ELPIPA
Students · Children
Applies the same limits as the K-12 law to technology used in preschool and prekindergarten: no targeted advertising, profiling, sale, or unauthorized disclosure of children's information; reasonable security; and deletion on request. AB 1159 (2026) extends and tightens it, including a bar on AI training.
- Where
- California
- Citation
- Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 22586-22586.1
- Status
- In force
- In force since
- 2017-01-01
- Last amended
- 2025-01-01
- Enforced by
- California Attorney General and local prosecutors; pupils actually harmed (from 2027)
- People can sue
- No
- Penalties
- Currently general unfair competition remedies; AB 1159 adds a private action from January 1, 2027.
- Applies to
- Operators of online services and apps with actual knowledge that they are used primarily for preschool or prekindergarten purposes and designed and marketed for them (broadened by AB 1159 from 2027)
Practices it requires
- Do not use preschool pupil information for targeted advertising, profiling, or sale, or disclose it except as listed.Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 22586(b)
- Do not use covered information to train generative AI or develop AI systems.Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 22586 (as amended by Stats. 2026, Ch. 182) · From 2027-01-01
Security duties
- Maintain reasonable security for covered information and delete it on the school's request.Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 22586(d)
Sources
- Official text
- Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 22586 (California Legislative Information)
- AB 1159 (2026) bill history
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: Original effective date (Jan. 1, 2017, AB 2799 of 2016) from background knowledge. | Subdivision cites for 22586 assumed parallel to 22584; not individually confirmed.
Research reference, not legal advice.