Meta, Google, and TikTok have filed separate lawsuits against California, challenging a new law set to take effect on January 1. The law, Assembly Bill 1709, prohibits social media platforms from offering features deemed 'addictive' to users under 16. The tech giants argue that the law violates the First Amendment by dictating how they curate and display content, effectively replacing parental and platform controls with state oversight.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, framed the lawsuit as a fight over who controls online speech. The company argues that the law infringes on its right to distribute speech freely and unfairly spares streaming services and review sites like Yelp. Meta plans to implement default limits for California teens, including a two-hour daily cap and overnight blocks, but argues that the law forces them to choose between removing age-appropriate features or cutting off thousands of teens from their communities.
Google and YouTube contend that personalized feeds are essential for helping children navigate the platform's vast library of content. They argue that the law substitutes the state's judgment for that of parents, prohibiting under-16 users from accessing personalized feeds even when parents want them to. YouTube also points out that autoplay is already off by default for every user under 18 and that the state could not identify peer-reviewed studies showing harm from personalization.
TikTok argues that the law is unconstitutionally vague and punishes honest mistakes. The company claims the law forces it to either stop curating feeds for teens under 16 or delete their accounts. TikTok also highlights that teen accounts come with more than 50 preset safety settings and that direct messaging for users under 16 has been disabled since 2020. The company argues that the law limits free speech and takes away parents' rights to determine what's appropriate for their kids.