New York sued over 'warning label' law for social media applications

This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. An internet trade group, representing 30 members including Google, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, has sued the state of New York challenging its law that requires social media platforms to provide state-approved warning labels for users. NetChoice's complaint said the state law violates the free-speech protections or First Amendment rights, Reuters reported. The law, that was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N. Y.) last year, requires social media platforms to warn about potential harm to younger users, the report said. It is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. "Unlike a static warning on a product label, these warnings repeatedly interrupt users and block access to protected speech," NetChoice noted. Earlier this month, similar lawsuits were filed by Meta, TikTok and Google against California which argued that the state's bipartisan "Digital Age Assurance Act," violated both the First Amendment and the federal Communications Decency Act. The Communications Decency Act protects online platforms from being sued over third party content. California's Digital Age Assurance Act was also set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2027. The California law would ban social media platforms from providing "an addictive feed" to users under the age of 16. It would also require social media companies to "implement reasonable measures" to prevent minors from accessing such features. The legal battles over children's safety and social media have been brewing in recent months. Last month, West Virginia sued TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, alleging that the social media company violated state consumer protection laws by using addictive features to encourage excessive screen time among children. The state also accused the platform of overstating the effectiveness of its parental controls while failing to address gaps that could allow predators to contact children. In August, California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey faced Meta in a high-profile trial, as part of a coalition of 29 states suing the company for allegedly designing features to keep minors hooked on social media and deceiving parents about the safety of the platforms. Later that month, a $17 billion settlement was reached in the case. Separately, Meta would have to pay Texas more than $1 billion over similar allegations, bringing the tech giant's total payment sum to just more than $18 billion. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.