Georgia blocks social media age verification law
A federal judge in Georgia has blocked a law that would have required parental consent and age verification for social media accounts for individuals under 16. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg, cited violations of free speech and granted a preliminary injunction while the case is further evaluated. The law,titled the Protecting Georgia’s children on Social Media Act of 2024,was set to take effect next week and was introduced by Republican senators in Georgia. The trade group NetChoice, representing social media firms, challenged the law, which has faced similar opposition in other states.Judge Totenberg highlighted the importance of social media for exchanging views, referencing a past Supreme Court case. Georgia’s Attorney General Chris Carr announced plans to appeal the decision.
Georgia blocks social media age verification law
A federal judge in Georgia cited free speech violations as she blocked a law on Thursday that requires parental and age verification on all social media accounts.
The measure that passed in 2024 was set to take effect next week and would require children younger than 16 to receive a parent’s permission while creating accounts.
The ruling was made by U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg, granting a preliminary injunction until there can be a full ruling. The law was challenged by the trade group NetChoice as a representative of social media businesses, which has challenged similar laws in eight other states.
The law, Protecting Georgia’s Children on Social Media Act of 2024, was introduced by a group of republican Georgia Senators in January of last year and was signed into law by April. Attorney General Chris Carr said Thursday that Georgia will be appealing the block.
Totenburg quoted the case of Packingham v. North Carolina in her decision, saying “social media specifically—represents ‘the most important place… for the exchange of views.’”
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While Totenburg affirmed the parental concerns about social media, she weighed that the law was still constitutionally demanding of her injunction.
NetChoice has been able to get similar laws completely overturned in Arkansas and Ohio. Other laws are on hold in states such as California and Texas. A federal judge did decline NetChoice’s attempt to overturn a law in Tennessee, stating that people would not be harmed if the law was passed.
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