Google, Meta and TikTok sue California to block law protecting children from addiction risk
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EN: In news headlines, the simple present tense (e.g., 'Sue') is frequently used to describe recent past events or ongoing legal actions, creating a sense of immediacy.
Government announces new policies to support small businesses.
EN: The infinitive phrase 'to Stop Law' functions as an adverbial of purpose (infinitive of purpose), explaining the intention or reason behind the main action 'sue'.
He called a meeting to discuss the budget cuts.
EN: In the United States, individual states like California often pass pioneering regulations on tech companies and child safety. When tech companies believe state laws infringe upon federal protections—such as First Amendment free speech rights—they frequently file lawsuits directly against state officials or state governments to halt enforcement.
EN: The Present Perfect tense ('have + past participle') is used here to report recent news or actions that have a direct impact or relevance to the present moment.
Several environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the factory.
EN: The infinitive of purpose ('to + verb', here 'to stop') explains the reason or objective behind the main clause action ('have taken legal action').
They hired an attorney to protect their copyright.
EN: In the United States, states like California often pass pioneering regulations on tech companies and consumer safety before the federal government does. When corporations disagree with state legislation, their primary recourse is taking legal action in federal courts, frequently citing constitutional protections like the First Amendment.
EN: The passive structure 'be designed to + infinitive' means that something was created or intended for a specific purpose.
The program was designed to help beginners learn coding quickly.
EN: The relative clause 'who are under sixteen years old' uses the relative pronoun 'who' to provide essential defining information about 'children'.
Students who are interested in science can join the club.
EN: In US state and federal legislation, age thresholds like 'under sixteen' or 'under thirteen' (such as in COPPA) are standard benchmarks used to define minors for distinct digital privacy and consumer safety protections.
EN: A non-defining relative clause is introduced by commas and 'which', providing extra, non-essential information about a noun. If removed, the main sentence still makes complete sense.
The proposal, which was introduced last month, aims to improve public health.
EN: The phrasal verb 'lead to' followed by a noun or gerund means 'to result in' or 'to cause something to happen'.
Poor sleep habits can lead to serious health problems.
EN: In the United States legislative process, state-level proposed legislation is often named by the chamber where it originated. In California, 'Assembly Bill' (often abbreviated AB) signifies a bill introduced in the California State Assembly, the lower house of the state legislature.
EN: The verb 'offer' is a ditransitive verb that can take two objects: an indirect object (the receiver, e.g., 'minors') followed by a direct object (the thing given, e.g., 'personal recommendations'). The pattern is: offer + [indirect object] + [direct object].
The company offers employees free language courses.
EN: The coordinating conjunction 'or' connects two parallel verb phrases sharing the modal auxiliary 'cannot': (1) 'offer minors personal recommendations' and (2) 'play videos automatically through autoplay'.
Visitors cannot take photographs or touch the exhibits.
EN: Features such as algorithmic recommendations and autoplay are often referred to by tech ethicists as 'dark patterns' or addictive design loops. In legal and tech discussions in the US, 'autoplay' specifically denotes the mechanism where a new video or clip begins without the user clicking or giving explicit consent, a major target in child protection legislation.
EN: The verb 'require' commonly follows the pattern 'require + object + to-infinitive', meaning to demand that someone do something by rule or law.
The school requires all students to wear uniforms.
EN: The clause 'that include such features' is a restrictive relative clause modifying the noun 'accounts'. The relative pronoun 'that' serves as the subject within the relative clause.
He deleted the apps that took up too much storage.
EN: In the United States, digital privacy and safety regulations for children (such as COPPA at the federal level and California's Age-Appropriate Design Code Act) often place heavy compliance duties directly on tech platforms, including mandatory data deletion and disabling algorithmic recommendations for minors.
EN: The conjunction 'because' introduces an adverbial clause of reason, explaining why Governor Newsom signed the law.
She stayed late at work because she had to finish the urgent report.
EN: The idiom 'come first' means to be more important than anything else. Notice that the noun clause after 'believes' omits 'that'.
In our family, honesty always comes first.
EN: In the United States, state governors have the executive power to sign bills passed by state legislatures into law, or veto them. Gavin Newsom is the 40th Governor of California.
EN: The verb phrase 'replace A with B' means to put something or someone new in the place of another. Here, 'the judgment of parents' (A) is being superseded by 'the state's own choices' (B).
The school replaced old textbooks with digital tablets.
EN: In indirect speech, the conjunction 'that' is frequently omitted after reporting verbs like 'said'. The clause 'the law replaces...' functions as the direct object of 'said'.
He said the meeting was canceled.
EN: In American legal and political discourse, debates over parental rights versus government regulation are common. Companies often frame their arguments around 'parental authority' and constitutional speech rights to gain public sympathy and build a stronger legal defense against state-level intervention.
EN: The reporting verb 'argue' is followed by a 'that'-clause functioning as the direct object, explaining the claim or reason being put forward.
Lawyers argued that the new policy was unconstitutional.
EN: In formal or legal contexts, 'break' is used to mean 'to violate' or 'to infringe upon' rights, rules, or protections.
The company breaks copyright protections by sharing the music without permission.
EN: The phrase 'free speech protections in the United States Constitution' refers directly to the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech and expression. Tech companies frequently cite the First Amendment when challenging state-level digital regulations, arguing that automated algorithms and content moderation policies are protected forms of editorial speech.
EN: In indirect speech (reported speech), the conjunction 'that' introducing a noun clause acting as the object of reporting verbs like 'said' is frequently omitted, especially in journalistic English.
The spokesperson said they were preparing an official response.
EN: Apposition occurs when two noun phrases are placed side-by-side to describe the same entity. Here, 'Rob Bonta' is set off by commas as an appositive identifying 'California's attorney general'.
Our team leader, David Smith, organized the entire project.
EN: In the United States, each state has an 'attorney general' who serves as the top legal advisor and law enforcement officer of that state government. Their office represents the state in significant legal challenges and lawsuits.
EN: The phrase 'be committed to' is followed by a gerund (verb-ing) or a noun phrase, meaning to be dedicated or obligated to doing something. Here, 'to' acts as a preposition, not an infinitive marker, so it requires 'defending' instead of 'defend'.
Our team is committed to improving customer satisfaction.
EN: The infinitive of purpose ('to protect kids online') is used to express the intention or objective behind an action. Here, it explains the purpose of the laws or the act of defending them.
The school introduced new rules to reduce bullying.
EN: In American political and legal rhetoric, the term 'commonsense laws' is strategically used to frame controversial or challenged regulations as practical, non-ideological, and widely supported by ordinary citizens.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
to start a lawsuit or legal process against someone
to be considered more important than anything else
the right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint
to be dedicated to a particular cause, action, or belief