Meta, Google and TikTok sue to block California's teen feed law.

Meta, Google and TikTok have each sued California's attorney general to stop a law that bars autoplay and personalised feeds for users under 16. The law, AB 1709, is due to take effect on 1 January.

The separate lawsuits against Attorney General Rob Bonta were filed on Wednesday 4 November, according to Reuters, as cited by Social Media Today. Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1709 on 10 September. As TechCrunch describes it, the law stops platforms offering autoplay video and personalised feeds to under-16s and requires them to delete those users' accounts if the features are not switched off. Platforms that fail to comply could face fines of up to $50,000 for each affected user under 16.

The companies argue that the law breaches the First Amendment by overriding their decisions on how to present content, and that Section 230 pre-empts it. A TikTok spokesperson called it unconstitutional. Google said autoplay on YouTube is already off by default for minors and that parents can block their teens' access to Shorts. Bonta's office said it was reviewing the filings and would defend the law. The Electronic Frontier Foundation also opposes it, warning that enforcing it would push platforms to collect more data from every user to check ages.

The case follows a run of teen-safety rulings and laws. TechCrunch notes that Meta agreed a settlement of up to $18bn over child-safety claims brought by 29 US states, and that Australia banned social media for under-16s in December 2025. Whether a court pauses AB 1709 before January is the open question.

The law only covers users in California, so the direct effect on Gulf campaigns is small. The wider point for marketers is that personalised feeds, the system that decides which content and ads young people see, are now the target of regulation rather than individual posts. Brands that rely on reaching teenagers through recommendation feeds should expect that reach to become less predictable market by market.