Google, Meta and TikTok take legal fight to California over youth social media law - The News International

Google, Meta Platforms and TikTok sued California to halt the implementation of a recent state statute aimed at curbing youth social media addiction.

The law primarily known as Assembly Bill 1709 prohibits those platforms from offering underage children psychologically exploitative features that could lead to addiction, such as providing personal recommendations and sending videos through autoplay features.

Google, Meta and TikTok further stated the law extorts compliance from them to honor the state’s preferred means of presenting content to children.

They further explained the law violates the US Constitution's Amendment’s free speech protections as well as Section 230 of the federal Communications Defence Act which protects online platforms from user liability.

Several US states regulate children’s access to social media with countries around the world have similar limitations, including a ban on social media for children under 16.

Earlier, Meta agreed to pay $18 billion and limit teenagers’ use of Facebook and Instagram following settlements with almost every US state that alleged breaches of privacy and consumer protection regulations. Google filed its lawsuit in federal court in San Jose, California, Meta was hit with a lawsuit in San Francisco and TikTok was sued in Los Angeles.