Google, Meta and TikTok Sue California Over Teen Feed Law
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Google, Meta and TikTok are asking courts to stop a California law aimed at features that keep children scrolling. The law is due to take effect on 1 January 2027.
What Assembly Bill 1709 bans
The law covers children under 16. It prohibits platforms from offering features it calls psychologically exploitative and that could lead to compulsive use. Personal recommendations and videos sent through autoplay are the examples named. It also requires the deletion of children's accounts that have those features.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed it on 10 September, with a statement that child safety belongs at the center of any technology debate. A judge could still void it or put it on hold before it starts.
Three suits, one defendant
Google, Meta and TikTok sued on Wednesday in separate cases. Google filed in federal court in San Jose, Meta in San Francisco and TikTok in Los Angeles. The only defendant is Rob Bonta, the California attorney general, who enforces the state's laws. His office said it is reviewing the suits and remains committed to defending the state's laws to protect kids online.
The companies make overlapping arguments. They say the law forces them to present content the way California prefers and replaces the judgment of parents with the state's. They also say it violates First Amendment free speech protections and Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act, which broadly shields platforms from liability over user content. Meta added that the state cannot override its editorial judgments, and that children would stay free to use other platforms with similar services.
"Parents are best positioned to make the right decisions for their families," said Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights non-profit, also criticized the law, calling it "a massive privacy and free speech nightmare".
Pressure from other fronts
Australia bans social media for children under 16, and many US states restrict how minors use it. In August, Meta settled with nearly all US states over accusations of breaking privacy and consumer protection laws, agreeing to pay up to $18bn and to limit teenagers' use of Facebook and Instagram.
Meta has pitched a different answer. After whistleblower revelations showed it was aware of how its platforms harmed teens, it rolled out teen safety tools to give parents more oversight. The company has used influencers to promote them worldwide as an alternative to bans like Australia's.
The three companies and Snap still face thousands of lawsuits from individuals, school districts, municipalities and other government bodies. Their claims say the companies tried to addict children and are to blame for a mental health crisis.
Source: The Guardian