Technology companies Google, Meta and TikTok sued the state of California to block a new law that forces social media platforms to prevent minors under 16 from using features considered “addictive,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Specifically, the social media giants asked to prevent the application of Law 1709 of the Assembly, which bans social media platforms from offering features like infinite scrolling (infinite scroll), automatic playback (autoplay) and viewing content recommended for teenagers and children.
The law, signed by the governor of California, Democrat Gavin Newsom, on September 10, requires platforms to verify the age of users. In addition, it creates a state electronic security commission to monitor compliance with the measure.
Newsom defended the law by ensuring that the safety of minors “deserves to be at the center of every conversation about technology” and that measures to protect consumers must advance at the pace of innovation.
The social media companies, which filed separate lawsuits, They invoked their right to freedom of expression, guaranteed by the Constitution.
In addition, they argued that the Communications Decency Act, which protects online platforms against lawsuits related to content published by third parties, protects them, according to information cited by the newspaper.
Meta, Google and YouTube filed their lawsuits in the Northern District of California, while TikTok filed in the Central District.
The technology companies have faced several lawsuits this year due to accusations that they created addiction in their underage users, which would have caused damage and problems with their mental health.
In March, a Los Angeles jury found both companies responsible for the design of Instagram and YouTube, considering that their characteristics favored compulsive use among young people.
The lawsuit was filed by Kaley GM (KGM), a young woman who claimed that the use of the platforms contributed to her mental health problems, and ordered both companies to pay compensation of $6 million.
Added to this is that a jury in New Mexico fined Meta $375 million for misleading consumers about the security of its platforms and the risks to minors. In August, a judge added another 567 million to address damages related to youth mental health, raising that penalty to 942 million.
Last month, another court ruling ordered the company founded by Mark Zuckerberg to pay $25 billion for violations of consumer protection laws related to data privacy and content moderation on Facebook in New Mexico.
Meta announced that it would appeal this latest decision.
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