Google, Meta and TikTok Sue to Block Law Curbing Addictive Social Media for Kids

Google, Meta and TikTok filed separate federal lawsuits challenging California’s AB 1709, which is scheduled to take effect January 1. The law bars platforms from providing users under 16 with features including personalized content feeds and video autoplay, and requires deletion of children’s accounts that use those features. The companies argue that the restrictions violate the First Amendment by letting the state dictate how content is selected and displayed, and conflict with Section 230, which protects platforms from liability related to user-generated content. They say the rules could remove useful, age-appropriate recommendations and disconnect teenagers from friends, family and communities. California’s attorney general says the state will defend the law.

Supporters say the platforms’ speech and liability arguments obscure their effort to profit from children’s attention, while digital-rights advocates and legal experts raise separate concerns. The Electronic Frontier Foundation warns that restrictions could shrink young people’s access to civic engagement, education and community, without addressing underlying harms. Santa Clara University professor Eric Goldman also objects to broad age verification and forced account termination, which could limit both access to content and users’ ability to post. The dispute comes amid thousands of lawsuits accusing social media companies of addicting children and contributing to a youth mental-health crisis, as well as state investigations and settlements. California’s law is part of a broader push for online safeguards as federal action stalls; other countries, including Australia, are testing age-based restrictions.