Talahassee, Fla. (AP) – A federal judge has banned state officials from enforcing Florida law banning social media accounts for young children. Legal challenges I oppose the law. US District Judge Mark Walker issued the order Tuesday, blocking some of the law from becoming effective.
The scale was One of the most restrictive prohibitions In the US Social Media Use by Children The government Ron Desantis It signed the law in 2024. The law prohibits social media accounts for children under the age of 14 and requires parental permission for use by children aged 14 and 15.
Walker wrote in an order granting a temporary injunction sought by the Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice groups, that the law is “unconstitutional,” but acknowledged that parents and lawmakers have “honest concerns” about the impact of social media on children.
Walker writes that the ban on social media platforms allows certain age groups to “bear the rights of young people directly and directly the right to access speech.”
Also on Tuesday, a federal judge in Atlanta heard a debate from NetChoice 2024 Block Georgia Law Age verification of social media accounts is required and will take effect on July 1, when children under the age of 16 require permission from the account’s parent. Like Florida and other states where the law is blocked, Internet trade group Netchoice claims that Georgia’s law violates the right to free speech, claiming it is ambiguous and overburdened.
While based on the industry group’s claim that the law restricts freedom of speech, Walker has allowed the provisions of Florida law to enforce the requirement that accounts for children under the age of 16 be closed if requested by a parent or guardian.
Parents – and even Some teens themselves – I’m becoming more and more concerned Impact of social media use For young people. Law proponents say it’s necessary to help them restrain them Explosive use of social media Between Young peopleand what researchers say is a related increase Depression and anxiety.
Matt Shrews, president and CEO of the Industrial Association CCIA, praised the judge’s order for obstructing Florida law.
“This ruling eradicates our argument that Florida law violates the First Amendment by blocking and restricting minors and restricting them from using certain websites to view legal content,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to this law permanently blocking it as a violation of the constitutional rights of Floridians to engage in legal speeches online.”
A spokesman for Florida Attorney General James Usmier defended the law and state efforts. Isolating children from social media When platforms like Tiktok, Instagram and Snapchat seem almost impossible to get away.
“Florida parents voted through representatives elected for laws that sometimes protect their children from harmful people. The tragic effects of life Social media. These platforms do not have a constitutional right to allow children to rely on products,” Usmeyer’s press director, Jae Williams, said in a statement.
In Atlanta, NetChoice’s lawyer Jeremy Martz said Georgia law would allow for acceptable restrictions on speech by minors, saying, “You need to write a paper before you share your art, before you share political information.”
Totenberg did not control on Tuesday. However, citing rulings against similar laws in other states, she expressed skepticism about the Georgia case, telling Deputy Attorney General Logan Winkle, “What’s the difference today?”
Winkles argued that the requirements of the law for “commercially reasonable” attempts to verify age could be very cheap, compared to banning minors from bars offering alcohol without limiting speech.
“Social media can be dangerous,” Winkles said. “It’s a place where kids are restricted. It’s not about speech.”
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Associated Press Writer Jeff Amy contributed from Atlanta.
___Kate Payne is a legional member of the Associated Press/Reports’ American State University News Initiative. American Report It is a non-profit, national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms and reports on secret issues.
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