California’s Ban on Addictive Feeds for Minors Gets Court Approval: What This Means for Social Media

Late Tuesday evening, a federal judge dismissed tech lobbying group NetChoice’s attempt to block California’s new law, SB 976, which restricts companies from providing "addictive feeds" to minors. This ruling means that starting Wednesday, companies cannot serve addictive content to California users they identify as minors unless they have explicit parental consent.

The law defines an addictive feed as an algorithm that curates content based on user behavior rather than their direct preferences. Beginning January 2027, companies will need to implement "age assurance techniques," such as age estimation models, to distinguish whether a user is a minor and tailor their content accordingly.

In November, NetChoice, whose members include major tech firms like Meta and Google, filed a lawsuit claiming the law infringed on First Amendment rights. While the judge denied their request for a complete injunction, they did block certain provisions of the law, including restrictions on sending notifications to minors during nighttime.

New York has also enacted similar legislation aimed at safeguarding minors from addictive online content.

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