Former Friends star Jennifer Aniston's activism has been the force behind a new state law in California that restricts the paparazzi.

Aniston's activism was instrumental in the success of Assembly Bill 524, which takes effect from Jan 1, according to Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, who revealed that the actress' horror stories prompted her to fast track the legislation, reports hollywood.com.

The new law allows for civil penalties against the paparazzi and media outlets that sell and buy unlawfully obtained photographs and video footage of celebrities and their families.

Bass said she wrote the bill after Aniston and a group of celebrities helped her to understand just how bad the Los Angeles paparazzi problem had become.

"There have to be some boundaries. When you have children in the car and the photographers are rushing you, it's just absolutely out of control. It's become a public safety issue. Somebody's going to die if we don't do something," said Aniston.