California’s New Law on Addictive Feeds: What’s Happening and What It Means
In a significant legal development late Tuesday, a federal judge dismissed the tech lobbying group NetChoice’s attempt to halt California’s new legislation, SB 976. This law is designed to protect minors from being exposed to what are termed “addictive feeds.” Starting Wednesday, tech companies are now mandated to avoid serving these feeds to minors in California without explicit parental consent.
- SB 976 targets feeds generated by algorithms based on user behavior instead of direct user preferences.
- By 2027, companies must implement “age assurance techniques,” such as age estimation models, to identify and adjust content for minors.
This legislation has sparked significant debate within the tech community, particularly among members of NetChoice, which includes giants like Meta, Google, and X. They argue that the law infringes upon First Amendment rights, leading to a lawsuit in November that aimed to completely block SB 976.
{Source: Legal Analysis Journal}
While the judge denied NetChoice’s motion for a full injunction against the law, some provisions were blocked, such as restrictions on nighttime notifications for minors. This decision marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing conversation about technology’s role in the lives of young users.
