Google, Meta and TikTok all filed separate lawsuits Wednesday to block California from implementing a law designed to protect children from addictive behavior on social media.
The tech companies argue that it violates their First Amendment rights and Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which they say protect platforms’ rights to decide how third-party content is organized, recommended and presented to users, according to documents obtained by TheWrap.
California’s Assembly Bill 1709 was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September, and it specifically bans personalized feeds, endless scrolling and autoplay for kids under 16. Platforms would have to delete the accounts and associated personal information of under-16 users who are provided with these features.
The companies each filed their lawsuits in federal courts in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Jose, California.
“Absent personalized feeds, under-16 users will be deprived of a compilation of videos tailored to their interests, preferences, and developmental needs — preventing them from effectively accessing the valuable content that YouTube provides,” Google’s lawsuit claims of YouTube. “Without personalization, much of that content will be buried beneath an endless stream of videos intended for viewers of different ages or with different interests.”
TikTok said that California’s law was a “blatantly unconstitutional restriction on free expression that erodes the long-standing and protected practice of curating content based on user preferences, which bookstores, TV networks and streaming services all use.”
These suits come as the parent companies face increased social media addiction lawsuits. In August, Meta reached an $18 billion settlement to end a trial over teen social media addiction with claims filed by nearly every state. In September, TikTok settled with Alabama for at least $100 million over addictive features.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta was named as the defendant in each of the lawsuits. His office has said they are reviewing the filings and that it was committed to defending state laws to protect kids online.
A judge denied the social media companies preliminary injunction filed by TikTok, Meta, YouTube and Google aimed at stopping California from enforcing a social media safety law in August.
The post Meta, Google and TikTok Sue to Block California Law Protecting Minors on Social Media appeared first on TheWrap.
