Meta, Google and TikTok each filed separate federal lawsuits against California on Wednesday, seeking to block a new law that would bar social media platforms from offering “addictive features” to users under 16.
\n\nThe New York Post reports that the three companies sued California Attorney General Rob Bonta over Assembly Bill 1709, which Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed on September 10 as part of the state’s package of social media and online safety laws for children. The law takes effect January 1.
\n\nAB 1709 requires platforms to verify users’ ages and delete the accounts of anyone under 16 unless those accounts are stripped of features California deems addictive, including personalized feeds and autoplay. Companies that knowingly violate the law face penalties of up to $50,000 per affected minor; negligent violations carry fines of $25,000. The attorney general or local prosecutors can enforce it.
\n\nThe law goes further than SB 976, a 2024 California statute that barred personalized feeds for users under 18 unless their parents consented. AB 1709 includes no such parental consent exception. All three companies are already challenging SB 976 before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
\n\nMeta filed its complaint in the Northern District of California, arguing…
Original source: https://www.breitbart.com/economy/
