SACRAMENTO, November 5, 2026 – Last night, Meta, TikTok, and Google filed lawsuits against California to block the state from instituting an age limit on addictive features on social media.
Asm. Josh Lowenthal’s Statement
“I’m hardly surprised, this comes straight out of Meta’s playbook,” said Asm. Josh Lowenthal. “Let’s take stock of where we are: our courts have found platforms liable for addicting kids, our Legislature acts unanimously to implement sensible guardrails to fix it, and Meta would rather sue the state than lean into what California families overwhelmingly want. It’s just a continuation of Meta’s fight to addict children for profit. As disappointing as this development is, I do trust the courts will put children’s safety over corporate greed.”
The Law Companies are Trying to Block: AB 1709
On September 10th, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 1709, a bill introduced by Asm. Josh Lowenthal (D – Long Beach), that would age gate addictive features on social media (i.e., video autoplay, recommendation algorithms, and infinite scroll) and establish an expert oversight body to advise the state on technology regulation. Through AB 1709, California set landmark safety standards for social media products for children and made significant investments in its capacity to regulate future technology products.
The Consequences of Addictive Features
Public health experts have long been sounding the alarm on social media’s addictive features. Prolonged use of social media platforms with additive features has been associated with increased rates of depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, and worse mental health outcomes among teens. Companies like Meta and Snap settled multiple lawsuits this year regarding product safety. However, their recent lawsuits indicate their fight to continue deploying these controversial features to minors.
