An internet industry group sued New York on Friday in an attempt to block a state law that will require social media platforms to show warning labels about the risks of heavy use by young people.
NetChoice, whose members include Google, Meta, Snap and TikTok, filed its complaint in federal court, arguing that the law breaches the First Amendment by forcing its members to carry the state’s “preferred message” about online safety. The group says the warnings would appear when users sign on and again after several hours of use, with no way to bypass them.
“Unlike a static warning on a product label, these warnings repeatedly interrupt users and block access to protected speech,” NetChoice said in its filing.
The law, signed by Governor Kathy Hochul last December, applies to platforms that use infinite scrolling, autoplay and algorithmic feeds. It requires them to display a warning drawn from the US Surgeon General, stating that while social media may benefit some young users, “excessive use may be associated with significant mental health harms.” The statement is modelled on findings published in 2023 by the then Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy.
New York’s law is scheduled to take effect on 1 January. The office of Attorney General Letitia James, who enforces the state’s laws, declined immediate comment.
NetChoice has challenged social media regulation in court many times, and the New York case is the latest in a run of similar fights across the United States. The group filed a similar lawsuit against California last month. It also pointed to Colorado, where a federal judge blocked a comparable warning-label law in November 2025 on First Amendment grounds; Colorado is appealing that decision.
The case arrives as states test how far they can go in regulating platforms used heavily by teenagers. Supporters of warning labels argue they give young users and parents clear information about the risks, in the same way health warnings appear on other products. The industry argues that the labels amount to the government putting words in private companies’ mouths, and that repeated pop-ups would interfere with lawful speech rather than simply informing users.
How the courts resolve that tension will shape not only New York’s law but the wave of state-level measures behind it. If NetChoice prevails, states seeking to curb what they see as addictive design features may have to find other routes; if New York’s law survives, platforms could face a patchwork of different warning requirements across the country.
Note: this account rests on Reuters’ report of the complaint; the full filing has not been independently reviewed.
Sources: Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/new-york-sued-over-law-requiring-social-media-warning-label-2026-11-14/).
