Calif. says the new law is about protecting kids. Tech companies hate it.

"Last year, a law hit the books in California that would, in 2027, force social media companies to dramatically overhaul the feeds scrolled by millions of children across the state. Last week, three tech juggernauts - the companies that run those feeds - ramped up their battle to stop the law from taking effect."

"The law they're suing over is called the Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act. Passed during the 2023-2024 session with bipartisan support, the law blocks companies from giving children the sort of social media feeds we've come to expect online - hyperpersonalized, laden with recommended content based on our past social media usage - unless those minors' parents give specific consent."

""Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children - isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom wrote when he signed the bill in September 2024. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits.""

"Meta, TikTok and YouTube each sued California Attorney General Rob Bonta in federal court on Thursday, pointing to the First Amendment and arguing that the law's attempt to enforce parental controls over social media feeds is a major overreach. They seek an injunction against the state's enforcement of the law, a push that comes as California ramps up its regulation over the relationships between tech platforms and children."

The Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act would, beginning in 2027, bar algorithmic, recommendation-driven social media feeds for minors unless parents give specific consent. The law passed with bipartisan support and characterizes personalized recommendation feeds as addictive and linked to youth mental health struggles. Meta, TikTok, and YouTube filed federal lawsuits against California Attorney General Rob Bonta, arguing the law violates the First Amendment and constitutes an overreach by trying to enforce parental controls over platform feeds. The companies seek an injunction to block enforcement while California continues expanding rules governing tech platforms and children.

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