Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a letter to NetChoice CEO Steve DelBianco last week, urging him to drop his organization’s lawsuit challenging AB 2273, the 2022 law requiring social media companies to implement privacy protections for child users.
NetChoice represents social media companies, including Google, Meta, TikTok and Twitter, and its lawsuit contends that the California law will have a chilling effect on free speech.
“By abandoning the First Amendment and forcing all websites to track and store information on both children and adults, California risks closing the internet and putting the digital safety of all Americans, and especially children, in jeopardy,” NetChoice General Counsel Carl Szabo said in a statement at the time the lawsuit was filed.
Newsom’s letter, as reported on Twitter by Spectrum News reporter Daniela Pardo, cites the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent advisory that social media use may be harmful to the mental health of young people.
“Enough is enough. In light of new action and findings released by the U.S. Surgeon General, I urge you to drop your lawsuit challenging California’s children’s online safety law,” Newsom wrote.
Newsom’s letter pointed out that AB 2273 was a bipartisan, first-in-the-nation law aimed at protecting the health and privacy of young people and prohibiting social media companies from encouraging children to submit personal information. The letter also notes that NetChoice represents social media companies like Google, Meta, TikTok and Twitter.
“Yet at the same time you are in court callously mocking this law, experts are confirming the known dangers of online platforms for kids and teens,” the letter continues.
Newsom concluded the letter by urging NetChoice to “instead join state agencies in implementing policies that strike a sound balance between protecting kids and ensuring that tech companies can continue to innovate.”
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