Meta, Google, and TikTok sue California AG over teen social media law
If it goes into effect next year, this California law would restrict social media access for children under 16.
Meta, Google, and TikTok have filed lawsuits against California Attorney General Rob Bonta to challenge a new law restricting social media features for users under 16. The bill, AB 1709, was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in September and is set to take effect in the new year. The law prohibits social platforms from providing autoplay videos and personalized feeds to users under 16, and requires platforms to delete these users' accounts if they do not turn off these features.
If the platforms do not comply, they could face fines of up to $50,000 per affected user under 16 years old.
Meta argues that the law violates the First Amendment by overriding its editorial decisions about content display, and it claims Section 230 preempts the law. TikTok and Google have made similar arguments. In their lawsuits, the companies claim that AB 1709 would make it unlawful for them to disseminate speech to minors and would require them to delete minors' accounts unless they change their practices.
AB 1709 follows a worldwide trend of legislation aimed at curbing teen social media use to improve mental health outcomes. However, digital safety experts caution that these laws can compromise users' privacy by requiring extensive age verification checks. Alajaji from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) stated that AB 1709 compels platforms to collect more information from all users, invading everyone's privacy and undermining individual anonymity online.
She also pointed out that teenagers' social media use has been crucial in enabling digital activism, citing examples like the Parkland shooting survivors' March for Our Lives and climate activist Greta Thunberg.
The companies intend to fight the California law as they face similar legal battles in various countries. Meta, for instance, recently settled a children's safety case with 29 U.S. states for up to $18 billion. Australia banned social media for users under 16 in December 2023, while France passed a similar law, but it was struck down by the country's top court due to concerns about free expression rights.
These platforms also argue that the law would affect parents' ability to make decisions about their teens' internet use through parental controls.
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