Meta, Google and TikTok have filed separate federal lawsuits to stop a new California law that bars social media apps from giving kids under 16 personalized feeds and autoplay videos. Those are the same design features that families’ social media addiction lawsuits say were built to keep young people hooked.
Meta filed its complaint against California Attorney General Rob Bonta in federal court in San Francisco on Wednesday, November 4. Google, which owns YouTube, and TikTok filed their own suits the same day. All three ask the courts to block the law before it takes effect on January 1, 2027.
What the California Law Requires
Governor Gavin Newsom signed the law, Assembly Bill 1709, on September 10, 2026. It bars covered platforms from offering what it calls “addictive features,” including personalized feeds and autoplay, to users under 16. A platform may let a teen keep an account that leaves those features out. If it cannot offer that version, it must delete the account and the personal information tied to it. Platforms must also verify users’ ages before serving those features.
The attorney general and local prosecutors enforce the law. Penalties run up to $50,000 for each affected child when a company knowingly breaks it, and up to $25,000 per child for negligent violations. Families cannot sue under the law.
What the Companies Argue
The companies argue the law violates the First Amendment by letting the state control how apps choose and display content. Meta and TikTok also argue that Section 230, a federal law that protects online platforms from liability for what users post, overrides it. Meta’s complaint says the law would “appoint the State as the editor, curator, and controller of online speech.” Google’s says it “wrests control of what kids watch from their parents and gives it to the State,” and notes that YouTube already turns autoplay off by default for users under 18. A TikTok spokesperson called the law “a blatantly unconstitutional restriction on free expression.”
Meta also told the court it “will soon default minors to a cumulative two-hour time limit on Facebook and Instagram that only parents or guardians can override.” Bonta’s office said it is reviewing the lawsuits and is committed to “defending California’s commonsense laws to protect kids online.”
Why It Matters for the Addiction Lawsuits
The lawsuits brought by young people and their families allege that Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube designed their apps to keep kids scrolling, using features such as endless feeds, autoplay and constant notifications, and that heavy use led to depression, anxiety, eating disorders and self-harm. California lawmakers, who passed the bill without a single no vote, targeted the same features. The companies have raised the same First Amendment and Section 230 defenses against families’ claims.
Even if the law survives, it only changes how the apps work from 2027 on. It does nothing for a child who was already harmed, and it gives families no way to recover compensation. The same is true of the attorney general cases, including Meta’s multistate settlement, which pays states rather than individual families. Families seeking compensation for a child’s harm need to bring their own claims, and those claims have filing deadlines.
Those individual claims continue in Los Angeles and in federal court in Oakland. A Los Angeles jury awarded a young woman $6 million against Meta and YouTube in March 2026, and the next Los Angeles trials are set to begin in March 2027.
Who May Have a Claim
Families in every state may have a claim. Two things matter most: the young person started using Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat or YouTube heavily before age 18 and is now 25 or younger, and a doctor, therapist or counselor diagnosed or treated depression or severe anxiety, an eating disorder or body dysmorphia, or self-harm, suicidal thoughts or a suicide attempt. Families who lost a child may also have a claim. Read more about who may qualify.
Doyle APC handles social media addiction claims together with experienced co-counsel.
If you or your child is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Common Questions
Does the California law help my family’s claim?
Not directly. The law limits feeds and autoplay for kids under 16 starting in 2027, and only the state can enforce it. It does not compensate anyone for past harm. Families who want compensation need to file their own claims.
Who is suing over the law?
Meta, Google (which owns YouTube) and TikTok each filed a separate federal lawsuit against California Attorney General Rob Bonta on November 4, 2026, asking the courts to block the law.
When does the law take effect?
January 1, 2027, unless a court blocks it first.
Do I need to live in California to have a claim?
No. The California law applies only in California, but families in every state may have a social media addiction claim.
What compensation can a family seek?
Claims seek medical and counseling expenses, past and future, along with compensation for pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. You pay nothing unless we recover.