California’s Autoplay and Personalized Feed Ban Draws BigTech Lawsuits
California's AB 1709 would bar personalized feeds and autoplay for under-16s from January 1, 2027, and the three platforms say the state, not parents, would decide what teens see.
Meta, Google and TikTok have each sued California Attorney General Rob Bonta to block AB 1709, a law that would stop social platforms from offering personalized feeds and autoplay to users under 16.
Tech giants say the move violates the First Amendment and undermines Section 230, the law that protects platforms from liability for user content.
Signed by Governor Newsom in September, the law takes effect on January 1, 2027, unless the courts step in to freeze it, Reuters says.
The legal battle leaves teenagers and parents waiting to see who will ultimately control a 15-year-old’s feed.
AB 1709 Ends Personalized Feeds and Autoplay for Under-16 Accounts
The law requires the platforms to delete the accounts of under-16 users who do not turn those features off, and face fines of up to $50,000 per affected user, TechCrunch adds. It requires the platforms to take reasonable steps to keep minors away from the features.
Because the ban reportedly applies even with parental approval, tech firms argue it strips parents of the right to guide their own kids online.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based digital rights group, names the law “a massive privacy and free speech nightmare”, as reported by Reuters.
Meta, Google and TikTok Call Feeds Editorial Speech and Point to Parental Controls
Meta argues that the state is stepping in to overrule their own decisions on how to display feeds, TechCrunch notes. TikTok and Google also reportedly made similar arguments.
Google added that curating recommendations is a protected editorial right, noting the law breaks systems designed to keep content age-appropriate. Plus, YouTube already turns autoplay off by default for minors and lets parents disable Shorts, per the report.
Meta also plans a default two-hour daily limit for minors on Facebook and Instagram, which parents can override, and TikTok points to its Family Pairing feature.
Bonta’s office says it is reviewing the filings and is committed to “defending California’s commonsense laws to protect kids online,” per TechCrunch.
Defaults That Parents Can Switch Off Versus Defaults the State Sets
Each company’s answer is a parental tool: YouTube’s off-by-default autoplay, Meta’s overridable time limit, TikTok’s Family Pairing.
These all leave the final choice to a parent, while AB 1709 reportedly does not, and that gap is the real fight.
Elsewhere, the UK decided to ban social media for under-16s, and France’s top court struck down a similar law over free expression concerns.
Across the globe, governments are hitting different roadblocks. The UK moved forward with its under-16 ban, but in France, President Macron’s hard push for an under-15 restriction was struck down by the country’s top court over free speech concerns.
No report names the federal courts involved or says when a judge might rule. Until one does, the January 1 date and the 15-year-old’s feed stay unsettled.
Source: Google, Meta, TikTok sue to block California youth social media law
