Big tech companies are suddenly "poking the bear"—publicly challenging regulators instead of striking a deferential tone.

Meta on Wednesday was the latest company to turn combative, lambasting the Federal Trade Commission after it proposed punishing the company for privacy violations by banning it from monetizing data it collects on children and teens.

"FTC Chair Lina Khan's insistence on using any measure—however baseless—to antagonize American business has reached a new low," a Meta spokesperson said in an email.