Google, Meta, TikTok sue to block California youth social media law
The companies say Assembly Bill 1709 violates free-speech rights and Section 230 while California says it protects children from addictive features.
- On Wednesday, Google, Meta Platforms, and TikTok sued California to block enforcement of Assembly Bill 1709, a law Governor Gavin Newsom signed on September 10 restricting features for children under 16.
- Prohibiting "psychologically exploitative features," the law faces company arguments that it violates the First Amendment and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act by overriding their editorial judgments.
- Google filed in San Jose, Meta in San Francisco, and TikTok in Los Angeles, contending the state improperly substitutes its judgment for that of parents and platform operators.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the sole defendant, did not immediately respond on Thursday, while the Electronic Frontier Foundation called the law a "massive privacy and free speech nightmare."
- Thousands of existing lawsuits alleging platforms caused mental health harms provide context for this challenge, as does Meta's $18 billion settlement in August amid global regulatory trends including Australia's social media ban for under-16s.
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Google, Meta and TikTok take legal fight to California over youth social media law
Google, Meta Platforms and TikTok sued California to halt the implementation of a recent state statute aimed at curbing youth social media addiction.The law primarily known as Assembly Bill 1709...
Google, Meta and TikTok are suing California to stop a law that would protect young people under 16 from addictive features on social media.
Google, Meta Platforms and TikTok sued the state of California to block the application of a new law designed to limit the risk of minors under 16 years of age becoming addicted to online platforms. The law, known as Bill 1709 of the Legislative Assembly, prohibits such platforms from offering children under 16 years of age [...]
Google, Meta Platforms and TikTok sued the state of California to prevent the implementation of a new state law aimed at limiting the risk of children under the age of 16 developing addiction to online platforms.
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