Google, Meta and TikTok sue California to block kids' social media law

The lawsuits landed in separate California courts, according to Reuters, with each company filing on its own rather than teaming up. Assembly Bill 1709 bars platforms from serving minors 'psychologically exploitative features' that could hook them into compulsive use. In practice, that puts autoplay video and personalized recommendations for anyone under 16 in the crosshairs.

Meta, Google and TikTok argue the law tramples the First Amendment and Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act, the long-standing shield for tech companies facing liability over what users post. 'The state cannot, consistent with the First Amendment, override Meta's editorial judgments,' Meta wrote in its complaint. Google and TikTok made the same basic pitch.

Governor Gavin Newsom, who signed the law as part of a broader child-safety package he introduced earlier this year, isn't budging. He said children's safety has to come first when it comes to social platforms, and that California 'will not stand by while unregulated technology puts our children at risk.'

The Electronic Frontier Foundation sides with the platforms here, calling AB 1709 'a massive privacy and free speech nightmare.' The nonprofit pushed Newsom to veto it and lost.

There's little dispute about the underlying problem. Google, Meta and TikTok are already battling thousands of suits from individuals, school districts, cities and government entities that blame social media for addicting kids and fueling a mental health crisis. Plenty of states have passed their own rules on minors' access. Meta, for its part, recently agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle a high-profile case over children's privacy and social media addiction, promising to make its platforms less addictive for young users while denying any wrongdoing.

These new challenges are still in their early stages as they work their way through the California court system.