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Google, Meta and TikTok sue California to block law protecting children from addiction risk
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Google, Meta and TikTok sued California to block Assembly Bill 1709, a state law aimed at curbing social media addiction among under-16s. The law bars platforms from offering minors âpsychologically exploitative featuresâ that can drive compulsive use, including personalized recommendations and autoplay. It requires deletion of childrenâs accounts with those features.
The companies filed lawsuitsâGoogle in San Jose federal court, Meta in San Francisco, TikTok in Los Angeles. They argue the law substitutes Californiaâs content judgments for parentsâ decisions. They claim it violates First Amendment protections and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1709 on Sept. 10, saying California âwill not stand by while unregulated technology puts our children at risk.â The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, unless a judge voids or pauses it. Attorney General Rob Bontaâs office said it is reviewing the suits and committed to defending Californiaâs commonsense child-safety laws.
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said parents are best positioned to make family decisions, adding overly broad laws break systems built to help kids find high-quality, age-appropriate videos. Meta said California cannot override editorial judgments about curating posts while children remain free to spend unlimited time on similar platforms. TikTok said protected speech cannot be suppressed solely to protect the young from ideas lawmakers deem unsuitable.
Critics accuse California of overreach. The Electronic Frontier Foundation called the law âa massive privacy and free speech nightmare.â Many US states regulate childrenâs social media access, and other countries impose similar restrictions, including Australiaâs under-16 ban.
In August, Meta agreed to pay up to $18bn and limit teenagersâ use of Facebook and Instagram under agreements with nearly all states. The lawsuits set up a major test of how far states can regulate platform design for minors. Unless courts intervene, enforcement is scheduled for 2027.
