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Three of the world's biggest technology companies have gone to court against California — together, but separately. Google, Meta and TikTok each filed their own federal lawsuit on Wednesday to block a new state law that would ban social media platforms from offering "addictive" features to children under 16. The law, Assembly Bill 1709, is due to take effect on January 1, and the companies want a judge to stop it first.
What the law would ban
Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1709 on September 10, saying children's safety should be central to any discussion about technology and that California "will not stand by while unregulated technology puts our children at risk." The law prohibits platforms from offering users under 16 what it calls "psychologically exploitative features" that could lead to compulsive use — including personalised recommendations, autoplay videos and endless scrolling.
The requirements go further than a ban. Platforms must verify users' ages and delete the accounts of anyone under 16 unless those accounts are stripped of the banned features. Violations carry serious penalties: the attorney general or local prosecutors can seek up to $50,000 per affected minor for knowing violations and $25,000 for negligent ones. The law is part of a broader child-safety package, and it goes further than a 2024 state law, SB 976, which barred personalised feeds for under-18s without parental consent — a law the companies are already challenging at the Ninth Circuit.
What the companies argue
All three companies make the same core argument: the law violates the First Amendment by dictating how they select and display content, effectively appointing the state as the editor, curator and controller of online speech. They also say it is pre-empted by Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act, which broadly shields platforms from liability over user content, and that it substitutes the state's judgment for that of parents.
TikTok called the law "a blatantly unconstitutional restriction on free expression." Meta argued that the state cannot override its editorial judgments about how it curates third-party content. Google filed its lawsuit in federal court in San Jose, Meta sued in San Francisco, and TikTok sued in Los Angeles — three separate cases, all naming California Attorney General Rob Bonta as the only defendant. Bonta's office said it is reviewing the filings and is committed to defending what it called "commonsense laws to protect kids online."
Why this fight matters beyond California
The lawsuits land in the middle of a much larger legal war over whether social media addicts children. The three companies are already fighting thousands of lawsuits from individuals, school districts, cities and government bodies making exactly that claim. In August, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle a high-profile case over children's privacy and social media addiction; in September, TikTok settled with Alabama for at least $100 million over addictive features.
California is not alone, either. Lawmakers around the world are moving to curb teen social media use in the name of mental health, and the outcome of these three cases — whether courts treat a personalised feed as protected speech or as a product design choice the state can regulate — will shape every one of those efforts. For now, the cases are in their earliest stages, with no court dates set. The question for January 1 is simple: will a judge put the law on hold before it takes effect? For more on Meta's week, see our report on Meta's voluntary exit offer in France, and for the market backdrop, the Nasdaq's slide into correction.