US Appeals Court Partially Lifts Injunction on California Children’s Online Safety Law

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A federal appeals court has lifted most of the injunction that had blocked California from enforcing a state law aimed at protecting children from harmful online content. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the trade group NetChoice, which represents tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Meta, is unlikely to prove the law is invalid on its face. However, the court upheld the injunction on some of the law’s restrictions.

Why it matters

This ruling is a significant victory for California’s efforts to regulate the tech industry and safeguard children’s online experiences. The law requires businesses to assess and mitigate potential harms to minors on their platforms, a move that could set a precedent for other states looking to address growing concerns about the impact of social media and digital content on young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

The details

The California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, signed into law in 2022, mandates that businesses create reports on potential harms to children and take steps to reduce those risks. It also requires companies to estimate the ages of child users and configure privacy settings accordingly. Violations could result in civil fines of up to $2,500 per child for negligence and $7,500 per child for intentional infractions. NetChoice, a trade group representing tech firms, had argued the law turned its members into “state-deputized censors” in violation of the First Amendment.

• The California law was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022.
• The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its ruling on March 12, 2026.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.