Meta, Google and TikTok sue California over under-16 social media law
If the law takes effect as scheduled, platforms could face penalties of up to $50,000 per affected minor and may have to delete accounts that keep restricted features on.
Meta, Google and TikTok have each filed suits in California courts seeking to block AB 1709, a state law that bars platforms from giving under-16 users autoplay videos and personalized feeds and requires accounts to be deleted if those features stay on. The companies argue the measure infringes the First Amendment by dictating how they arrange content and say Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act shields them. Penalties can reach $50,000 per affected minor, and the law is scheduled to take effect at the start of the new year. Privacy advocates such as the EFF warn that the age checks it demands would require more data collection from all users, adults included. The cases are at an early stage, and the attorney general's office says it is reviewing the filings.
Why it matters
The law would take away autoplay and personalized feeds for users under 16 in California, a change that bears directly on how young people see content on the largest platforms. Its age checks would also require more personal data from every user, adults included, which privacy groups argue weakens anonymity online. Whether the companies win their First Amendment and Section 230 arguments will decide if these protections for minors apply at all. The cases are at an early stage and the attorney general's office is still reviewing the filings.
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