Latest news with #NetChoice
Economic Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Mississippi social media law: Age verification and parental consent now mandatory on Facebook, Instagram, X
Mississippi's new social media law now requires sites like Facebook, Instagram, and X to verify children's ages and get parental consent. NetChoice, a group of big tech companies, tried to stop it, saying it may limit online free speech. The Supreme Court denied their request, so the law is now active to protect children from harmful content online. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What is NetChoice—the challengers to the law What does the law say Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs A Mississippi law, making it mandatory for social media sites like Facebook, X, and Instagram to age verify children and take parental consent before allowing use, has come into effect for all its possible purposes after the Supreme Court denied relief to the trade group seeking to block its enforcement, reports group of big tech companies—Dreamwidth, Meta, Nextdoor, Pinterest, Reddit, Snap Inc. (which owns Snapchat), X and YouTube—were all represented by a trade group called NetChoice, which had gotten a federal judge to block the law's implementation previously, as per the report by US Court of Appeal then lifted the injunction. Which led NetChoice to seek emergency relief for its clients, stating that 'both minors and adults can access and engage in fully protected expression online, free from governmental interference.'The law, called the Walker Montgomery Protecting Children Online Act asked sites to formulate and implement methods to subvert exposure of harmful content to minors—citing an incident where a 16—year-old committed suicide after falling prey to a bogus sextortion attempt on State of Mississippi, represented by Attorney General Lynn Fitch, however, was of the firm view that the inunction on the law was uncalled for and hampered state's ability to protect children from predators, MSNBC reported. She also cited a Texan ruling where verification of sexual content before exposing it to children became mandatory, as reported by the Shadow bench of the High Court—which had its doubts over the constitutional validity of the law—had upheld the law, it didn't give specific comments on the First Amendment violation claims raised by Brett Kavanaugh of the 5th circuit said that the law was possibly unconstitutional but as of now, NetChoice has failed to 'sufficiently demonstrate that the balance of harms and equities favors it at this time', as reported by law requires sites like Facebook, Instagram, and X to check children's ages and get parental consent before allowing them to use the is a group representing big tech companies that tried to block the law, saying it limits free online expression for minors and adults.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Mississippi social media law: Age verification and parental consent now mandatory on Facebook, Instagram, X
A Mississippi law, making it mandatory for social media sites like Facebook, X, and Instagram to age verify children and take parental consent before allowing use, has come into effect for all its possible purposes after the Supreme Court denied relief to the trade group seeking to block its enforcement, reports said. What is NetChoice—the challengers to the law The group of big tech companies—Dreamwidth, Meta, Nextdoor, Pinterest, Reddit, Snap Inc. (which owns Snapchat), X and YouTube—were all represented by a trade group called NetChoice, which had gotten a federal judge to block the law's implementation previously, as per the report by MSNBC. The US Court of Appeal then lifted the injunction. Which led NetChoice to seek emergency relief for its clients, stating that 'both minors and adults can access and engage in fully protected expression online, free from governmental interference.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gold Is Surging in 2025 — Smart Traders Are Already In IC Markets Learn More Undo ALSO READ: New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell indicted for fraud and bodyguard scandal What does the law say The law, called the Walker Montgomery Protecting Children Online Act asked sites to formulate and implement methods to subvert exposure of harmful content to minors—citing an incident where a 16—year-old committed suicide after falling prey to a bogus sextortion attempt on Instagram. Live Events The State of Mississippi, represented by Attorney General Lynn Fitch, however, was of the firm view that the inunction on the law was uncalled for and hampered state's ability to protect children from predators, MSNBC reported. She also cited a Texan ruling where verification of sexual content before exposing it to children became mandatory, as reported by MSNBC. Though the Shadow bench of the High Court—which had its doubts over the constitutional validity of the law—had upheld the law, it didn't give specific comments on the First Amendment violation claims raised by NetChoice. Justice Brett Kavanaugh of the 5th circuit said that the law was possibly unconstitutional but as of now, NetChoice has failed to 'sufficiently demonstrate that the balance of harms and equities favors it at this time', as reported by MSNBC. FAQs Q1. What is the Mississippi social media law about? The law requires sites like Facebook, Instagram, and X to check children's ages and get parental consent before allowing them to use the platforms. Q2. Who is NetChoice and why did they challenge the law? NetChoice is a group representing big tech companies that tried to block the law, saying it limits free online expression for minors and adults.
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Supreme Court declines to block age verification law for social media
The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on July 17 lifted a hold put on the law by a federal district judge who had ruled that it likely violates the First Amendment. U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden had said the law is too broad, and parents have others way of monitoring their children's use of social media. The Supreme Court didn't explain its decision in the case. But Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that while Mississippi's law is likely unconsitutional, NetChoice didn't show that letting it be enforced during the legal challenge is sufficiently harmful. NetChoice attorney Paul Taske called the court's decision "an unfortunate procedural delay." "Although we're disappointed with the Court's decision, Justice Kavanaugh's concurrence makes clear that NetChoice will ultimately succeed in defending the First Amendment - not just in this case but across all NetChoice's ID-for-Speech lawsuits," Taske said in a statement. A spokesperson for Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said the state is "grateful for the Court's decision to leave Mississippi's law in effect while the case proceeds in a way that permits thoughtful consideration of these important issues." Mississippi's attorneys say the law is a targeted effort to regulate social media platforms that let predators interact with children. "The Act requires what any responsible covered platform would already do: make 'commercially reasonable' efforts to protect minors," they told the Supreme Court. They said the law was prompted by a 16-year-old boy taking his own life after someone he met on Instagram threatened to expose their sexual encounter unless he paid $1,000. And they said Ozerden's order blocking enforcement conflicts with the Supreme Court's June decision upholding Texas' age verification law for pornographic websites. More: Supreme Court upholds Texas' age verification law for porn sites NetChoice said the law forces every Mississippian - adults and minors alike - to surrender personal information to access online speech that's protected by the First Amendment. "Social media is the modern printing press - it allows all Americans to share their thoughts and perspectives," said Paul Taske, co-director of the Net Choice Litigation Center. "Just as the government can't force you to provide identification to read a newspaper, the same holds true when that news is available online."
6 days ago
- Business
Supreme Court allows Mississippi to require age verification on social media
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. NetChoice is challenging laws passed in Mississippi and other states that require social media users to verify their ages, and asked the court to keep the measure on hold while a lawsuit plays out. There were no noted dissents from the brief, unsigned order. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that there's a good chance NetChoice will eventually succeed in showing that the law is unconstitutional, but hadn't shown it must be blocked while the lawsuit unfolds. NetChoice argues that the Mississippi law threatens privacy rights and unconstitutionally restricts the free expression of users of all ages. A federal judge agreed and prevented the 2024 law from taking effect. But a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in July that the law could be enforced while the lawsuit proceeds. It's the latest legal development as court challenges play out against similar laws in states across the country. Parents and even some teenagers are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the new laws have said they are needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch told the justices that age verification could help protect young people from 'sexual abuse, trafficking, physical violence, sextortion and more,' activities that Fitch noted are not protected by the First Amendment. NetChoice represents some of the country's most high-profile technology companies, including Google, which owns YouTube; Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat; and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. NetChoice has filed similar lawsuits in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Utah. Paul Taske, co-director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, called the decision "an unfortunate procedural delay.' 'Although we're disappointed with the Court's decision, Justice Kavanaugh's concurrence makes clear that NetChoice will ultimately succeed in defending the First Amendment — not just in this case but across all NetChoice's ID-for-Speech lawsuits," he said.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
US Supreme Court declines to block Mississippi social media age-check law
WASHINGTON: The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Thursday to put on hold a 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. 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.' The Mississippi attorney general's office in a statement welcomed the Supreme Court's order to leave the state law in place 'while the case proceeds in a way that permits thoughtful consideration of these important issues.' NetChoice 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 state 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.' - Reuters
