Latest news with #MississippiLaw
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
US Supreme Court declines to pause new Mississippi social media law
The United States Supreme Court has declined to put on hold a Mississippi law requiring that users of social media platforms verify their age and that minors have parental consent. The high court made the decision on Thursday not to accept the challenge by NetChoice, a trade group that included tech giants such as Meta, Facebook and Instagram's parent company, Alphabet which owns YouTube, and Snapchat. The justices denied a request to block the law while the Washington-based tech industry trade association's legal challenge to the law, which, it argues, violates the US Constitution's protections against government abridgement of free speech, plays out in lower courts. Justice Brett Kavanaugh in a statement about the court's order said the Mississippi law was likely unconstitutional, but that NetChoice had not met the high bar to block the measure at this early stage of the case. In a statement, Paul Taske, co-director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, said Kavanaugh's view 'makes clear that NetChoice will ultimately succeed' in its challenge. Taske called the Supreme Court's order 'an unfortunate procedural delay.' NetChoice had turned to the Supreme Court after the New Orleans-based 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals let the law take effect even though a judge found it likely runs afoul of the First Amendment. NetChoice sued in federal court in 2024 in a bid to invalidate the law, which was passed unanimously in the state legislature amid concern by lawmakers about the potential negative effects of social media use on the mental health of children. Its emergency request to the justices marked the first time the Supreme Court was asked to consider a social media age-verification law. The law requires that a social media platform obtain 'express consent' from a parent or guardian of a minor before a child can open an account. It also states that regulated social media platforms must make 'commercially reasonable' efforts to verify the age of users. Under the law, the state can pursue civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation as well as criminal penalties under Mississippi's deceptive trade practices law. Multiple lawsuits US District Judge Halil Suleyman Ozerden in Gulfport, Mississippi, last year blocked Mississippi from enforcing the restrictions on some NetChoice members. Ozerden issued a second order in June pausing the rules against those members, including Meta and its Instagram and Facebook platforms, Snapchat and YouTube. The 5th Circuit on July 17 issued a one-sentence ruling that paused the judge's order, without explaining its reasoning. Courts in seven states have preliminarily or permanently blocked similar measures, according to NetChoice. Some technology companies are separately battling lawsuits brought by US states, school districts and individual users alleging that social platforms have exacerbated mental health problems. The companies have denied wrongdoing. NetChoice said the social media platforms of its members already have adopted extensive policies to moderate content for minors and provide parental controls. In its request to the Supreme Court, the state told the justices that age-verification and parental consent requirements 'are common ways for states to protect minors'. In May, Texas passed a law requiring Apple and Alphabet's Google to verify the age of users of their app stores.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Supreme Court allows Mississippi to require age verification on social media like Facebook and X
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday refused for now to block enforcement of a Mississippi law aimed at regulating the use of social media by children, an issue of growing national concern. The justices rejected an emergency appeal from a tech industry group representing major platforms like Facebook, X and YouTube.
CNA
5 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
US Supreme Court declines for now to block Mississippi social media age-check law
WASHINGTON :The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Thursday to put on hold Mississippi law requiring that users of social media platforms verify their age and that minors have parental consent in a challenge by a trade group whose members include Meta's Facebook, Alphabet's YouTube and Snapchat. The justices denied a request by NetChoice to block the law while the Washington-based tech industry trade association's legal challenge to the law, which it argues violates the U.S. Constitution's protections against government abridgement of free speech, plays out in lower courts. Justice Brett Kavanaugh in a statement about the court's order said the Mississippi law was likely unconstitutional, but that NetChoice had not met the high bar to block the measure at this early stage of the case. NetChoice had turned to the Supreme Court after the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals let the law take effect even though a judge found it likely runs afoul of the First Amendment. NetChoice sued in federal court in 2024 in a bid to invalidate the law, which was passed unanimously in the state legislature amid concern by lawmakers about the potential negative effects of social media use on the mental health of children. Its emergency request to the justices marked the first time the Supreme Court was asked to consider a social media age-verification law. The law requires that a social media platform obtain "express consent" from a parent or guardian of a minor before a child can open an account. It also states that regulated social media platforms must make "commercially reasonable" efforts to verify the age of users. Under the law, the state can pursue civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation as well as criminal penalties under Mississippi's deceptive trade practices law. U.S. District Judge Halil Suleyman Ozerden in Gulfport, Mississippi, last year blocked Mississippi from enforcing the restrictions on some NetChoice members. Ozerden issued a second order in June pausing the rules against those members, including Meta and its Instagram and Facebook platforms, Snapchat and YouTube. The 5th Circuit on July 17 issued a one-sentence ruling that paused the judge's order, without explaining its reasoning. Courts in seven states have preliminarily or permanently blocked similar measures, according to NetChoice. Some technology companies are separately battling lawsuits brought by U.S. states, school districts and individual users alleging that social platforms have fueled mental health problems. The companies have denied wrongdoing. NetChoice said the social media platforms of its members already have adopted extensive policies to moderate content for minors and provide parental controls. In its request to the Supreme Court, the state told the justices that age-verification and parental consent requirements "are common ways for states to protect minors."
New York Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Supreme Court Allows Mississippi Law on Children's Use of Social Media, for Now
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to block a Mississippi law barring minors from using social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Snapchat, YouTube and X without their parents' consent. The court's brief order was unsigned and gave no reasons, which is typical when the justices act on emergency applications. The order was not the last word in the case, which will proceed in a federal appeals court and may again reach the justices. The challenged law, enacted last year, seeks to limit minors' access to sites allowing them 'to socially interact with other users.' Lawmakers said they sought to protect children from sex trafficking, sexual abuse, violence, grooming and harassment. More generally, they said, they were concerned about the harmful effects of social media use on young people. The law does not apply to sites mainly devoted to news, sports, commerce or video games. It also exempts email and direct messages. It requires social media sites to verify users' ages and to block those under 18 unless they have their parents' permission. Sites that violate the law may be fined $10,000 per incident and could face criminal penalties. NetChoice, a trade association, challenged the law on behalf of nine social media sites, saying it violated the First Amendment. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court allows enforcement of Mississippi social media age verification law
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to block enforcement of a Mississippi law aimed at regulating the use of social media by children, an issue of growing national concern. The justices rejected an emergency appeal from a tech industry group that is challenging laws passed in Mississippi and other states that require social media users to verify their ages. NetChoice, which brought the lawsuit, argues the Mississippi law threatens privacy rights and unconstitutionally restricts the free expression of users of all ages. Mark Sherman, The Associated Press Sign in to access your portfolio
