Three of the largest technology companies are taking California to court over a new law that aims to protect children from addictive social media features. TikTok, Google and Meta have all filed separate federal lawsuits challenging Assembly Bill 1709, which would restrict features such as personalized recommendations, infinite scrolling and autoplay for users under 16.
The law will target features designed to encourage prolonged engagement. This will include autoplay, which automatically plays another video without user selection, and infinite scrolling, which continuously loads content. AB 1709 was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 10 and is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
All three companies argue that the legislature violates their First Amendment free speech rights by allowing the state to determine how online content is displayed, organized and recommended. Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, argues that the state is interfering with its editorial decisions. Its lawsuit claims the law makes California “the editor, curator, and controller of online speech.”
Google, which owns YouTube, argues the restrictions could interfere with recommendations for age-appropriate and educational videos. TikTok argues the law could override parents’ decisions about their child’s social media usage. The companies also argue that the restrictions conflict with Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which generally protects online platforms from being held liable for content posted by third-party users.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said it was reviewing the lawsuits but remained committed to defending the state’s online child-safety laws. Newsom has framed the restrictions as an effort to protect children from potentially harmful social media features.
The lawsuits are the latest legal challenges in California’s attempts to regulate social media platforms. In 2024, the state passed Senate Bill 976, which put a restriction on addictive social media feeds for minors without parental consent. This law has also faced legal challenges. California joined 32 other states in a 2023 federal lawsuit against Meta, alleging the company designed addictive features that harmed younger users’ mental health.
The companies are seeking to block AB 1709 before it’s scheduled to go into effect in January. Whether it’s scheduled to go into effect as planned depends on the courts’ decisions.
“Our office is committed to defending California’s commonsense laws to protect kids online,” Bonta’s office said in a statement to KQED.
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