Google, Meta and TikTok have filed lawsuits seeking to prevent California from enforcing a recently passed law aimed at reducing the risk of compulsive social media use among children under 16.
Assembly Bill 1709 bars platforms from providing users under 16 with what it terms "psychologically exploitative features" that could lead to compulsive behaviour. The measure specifically targets functions such as personalised recommendations and autoplaying videos, and it requires platforms to delete accounts of children that include those features.
In moving to block enforcement, the companies ask courts to intervene against the state law. The filings mark a direct legal challenge to the restrictions and underscore the tension between regulators seeking to protect young users and technology firms that say platform design choices are central to their services.
If upheld and enforced, the statute would compel substantial changes to platform design and account management for underage users, potentially altering how video and content feeds are curated and delivered to minors. The dispute is likely to be closely watched as a test case for how far state governments can go in regulating features of major social networks.
The litigation will determine whether California can implement the changes mandated by AB 1709 or whether the courts will block the law from taking effect while the constitutional or statutory issues it raises are resolved. The challenge adds to a broader national and international debate about how to balance child safety online with industry innovation and platform business models.
For now, the law remains the subject of active legal contention, and further court proceedings will set the timetable for any potential enforcement or modifications to the legislation.