In a continuing battle over online speech and safety, the tech industry advocacy group NetChoice has approached the Supreme Court to halt Mississippi from implementing restrictions on children’s access to social media platforms. This comes as a response to Mississippi’s recent enactment of House Bill 1126, which stipulates that social media sites must obtain parental consent for minors to create accounts, verify users’ ages, and actively prevent exposure to harmful material. The law threatens civil penalties up to $10,000 for each violation, with a possibility of criminal charges.
Advocates of NetChoice argue that the enforcement of such measures infringes upon First Amendment rights and imposes hefty compliance costs on major social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, X, Reddit, and YouTube. The concern, they emphasize, isn’t just monetary; they insist such laws threaten the open nature of online discourse.
In an earlier ruling, U.S. District Judge Halil Suleyman Ozerden sided with NetChoice, acknowledging the compelling state interest in protecting minors but ruling that the method was overly broad and burdensome. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit paused this decision, inciting NetChoice to seek intervention from the highest court.
The outcome now hinges on the Supreme Court’s decision, with Mississippi required to respond to NetChoice’s urgent request by July 30. The case underscores the ongoing tension between state-level efforts to regulate social media use among minors and the broader implications for free speech and operational feasibility for technology companies.