Claim:
A new California law set to take effect in 2027 will require kids ages 8- to 16-years-old to sit in a booster seat while riding in a vehicle.
Rating:
Context
It’s misleading to assert that the law “requires” a booster seat for the specified age group. The law only requires children to sit in a booster seat if they do not meet the requirements of a new five-step test, or conditions for being seated comfortably and safely when constrained by a seat belt. Such a test is more a question of body size rather than age and will not apply to all children.
Claims that a new California law will require children 8- to 16-years-old to use a booster seat while riding in a vehicle circulated online in mid-to-late November 2025.
Users on social media platforms like X (archived) and particularly Facebook (archived, archived) shared their frustrations with the alleged change, with one parent on TikTok (archived) sharing a video of their unamused teenage daughter attempting to sit in such a booster seat.
The assertion that the new law will “require” teens in California to sit in a booster seat was overstated, and as such, we have rated this claim as false.
It is accurate to say that a new law could result in some kids ages 8 to 16 having to sit in a booster seat.
Specifically, the updated law, which was approved by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 7, 2025 and will go into effect Jan. 1, 2027, outlined a new “5-step test” that established requirements to be met for an individual to be considered “properly restrained by a safety belt” in the eyes of California state law.
The new requirements offered more specificity as to what is legally considered “properly restrained.” Those requirements were outlined in the bill as follows:
(1) The child or ward is sitting all the way back against the auto seat.
(2) The knees of the child or ward bend over the edge of the auto seat.
(3) The shoulder belt snugly crosses the center of the child’s chest and shoulder, not the child’s neck.
(4) The lap belt is as low as possible and is touching the child or ward’s thighs.
(5) The child or ward can stay seated like this for the whole trip.
By comparison, the bill stated that “existing law defines, for purposes of the above provisions, ‘properly restrained by a safety belt’ to mean that the lap belt crosses the hips or upper thighs of the occupant and the shoulder belt, if present, crosses the chest in front of the occupant.”
The bill stated that the old requirements would “remain in effect only until January 1, 2027,” and the new requirements would “become operative” on the same day.
The bill was supported by the Automobile Club of California, AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah, the National Highway Safety Administration and the California Department of Public Health, among other public safety organizations.
Current California law, as of this writing, stated “a child or ward under 8 years of age who is 4 feet 9 inches in height or taller to be properly restrained by a safety belt rather than by a child passenger restraint system.”
Under the new updated law, height would still be a consideration as it would be a key determining factor in one passing the “5-step test,” but also takes into consideration other safety concerns for children.
A document capturing the Assembly Floor Analysis of the bill stated, “recent data suggests that the minimum height requirements do not adequately capture the safety needs of children in vehicles.”
According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), as of this writing, children are “ready for a booster seat when they have outgrown the weight or height limit of their forward-facing harnesses, which is typically between 40 and 65 pounds,” and should use them “until they are at least 4’9″ and between 8 and 12 years old.”
CHP further pointed out that “safety belts are designed for 165-pound male adults, so it’s no wonder that research shows poorly fitting adult belts can injure children.”
Minnesota passed a similar law in 2024 and Louisiana in 2019.
In sum, users speculating about their older teens being “required” to use a booster seat until they are 16 likely have little to be concerned about if their child falls within the average growth rates.
So while California did vote to update its laws surrounding seat belt requirements for children, it is false to say that the new law “requires” booster seats for kids aged 8 to 16.
