The A-C-L-U and tech-industry advocates are fighting a bill in the state Legislature. It would prohibit social media platforms from allowing users younger than 16 to create or maintain accounts. They argue the legislation violates First Amendment rights.
But the bill's author - Long Beach Democratic Assembly member Josh Lowenthal - says the intent is to hold tech companies accountable for the design of their platforms.
"The bill was carefully amended to address First Amendment concerns by targeting the mechanics of these platforms rather than the viewpoints or the content shared on them. And the companies' own internal documents make the intent clear - executives compared engagement systems to slot machines designed to keep users hooked for as long as possible."
The measure passed the Assembly Thursday with overwhelming bipartisan support and now heads to the Senate.
The proposal comes after a California jury recently found YouTube and Meta negligent in a lawsuit alleging the companies targeted minors through addictive design features.