California lawmakers are charging ahead with a controversial plan to ban kids under 16 from TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms — clearing a major hurdle despite a growing chorus of critics. The bipartisan bill, AB-1709, passed out of Committee last week with overwhelming support, putting California one step closer to a sweeping crackdown that would dramatically reshape how teens go online. Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), who introduced the bill, warns social media firms have “unfettered access to vulnerable, developing minds” and have made “design choices that malignantly target users’ neurological systems, leading to addiction, depression, and, in grave circumstances, death.”