Internet trade group sues California over social media warning labels

The group says California can't force its tech giant members to act as the state's mouthpiece on contested issues like the effects of social media use.LOS ANGELES (CN) — NetChoice, a trade association whose members include Meta, Google and TikTok, sued California on Thursday to stop a state law requiring social media platforms to display warning labels for users under 18 about the mental health risks of social media use.NetChoice said in a complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court that the law, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, violates the First Amendment prohibition against compelled speech.“The act compels covered websites to speak the state’s message on the highly controversial topic of purported effects of social media use on users,” NetChoice writes. “These are contested policy and scientific judgments dressed up as factual warnings and forced into the mouths of private speakers.”California’s Social Media Warning Law was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2025.It stipulates that social media platforms periodically display a warning label when used by children and teens, advising them that social media is associated with significant mental health harms and has not been proven safe for young users.The warning label must be clearly displayed upon the user’s initial access of a social media platform in a given day, unless the platform has verified they are over 17 years old, and again after the user has reached three hours of cumulative active use that day, and thereafter at least once per hour of active use.A growing body of research links young people’s use of social media platforms to a variety of serious harms, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who sponsored the bill, said in 2025.Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram; Google, which owns YouTube; and TikTok are facing thousands of lawsuits in state and federal courts over claims that they designed their platforms to be addictive to adolescents.In September, Meta settled claims brought by 47 states, Washington, D.C. and several U.S. territories, and agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion in civil penalties and implement safety features to address claims its social media was made intentionally addictive to children.Nonetheless, NetChoice argues that its members already provide safeguards for young users through, among others, parental controls and content moderation.“They restrict the publication of harmful speech, such as violent and sexual content, bullying, harassment, and content that encourages body shaming or eating disorders,” the trade association claims. “In addition, many covered websites promote positive and age-appropriate speech, such as content that encourages a healthy self-image.”Representatives of the California attorney general’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.NetChoice seeks a court ruling that the California statute is unconstitutional under the First Amendment and an injunction against enforcement of the law.The trade association is represented by attorneys from Lehotsky Cohn in Washington D.C. and from Benbrook Law Group in Newport Beach, California.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads