Meta, Google and TikTok each filed a separate lawsuit against California Attorney General Rob Bonta, challenging AB 1709. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the law in September, and it is set to take effect at the start of the new year.
The law bars platforms from offering autoplay videos or personalized feeds to users under 16, and requires them to delete under-16 accounts that do not turn those features off. Noncompliant platforms could face fines of up to $50,000 per affected user under 16.
The companies argue the law violates the First Amendment by overriding editorial decisions about how content is displayed, and that federal Section 230 preempts it. TikTok calls it "a blatantly unconstitutional restriction on free expression." The Electronic Frontier Foundation says the law "compels platforms to collect even more information from every user." Bonta's office says it is reviewing the filings and is committed to defending California's laws protecting kids online.
The cases will test how far states can regulate feed design for minors, after Australia banned social media for under-16s in December 2025 and France's top court struck down a similar law in August 2026.