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A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
overruled a decision by a federal district judge to block the
2024 law from going into effect. It's the latest legal
development as court challenges play out against similar laws in
states across the country.
Parents — and even some teens themselves — 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 argued in a court filing
defending the law that steps such as age verification for
digital sites could mitigate harm caused by “sex trafficking,
sexual abuse, child pornography, targeted harassment, sextortion,
incitement to suicide and self-harm, and other harmful and often
illegal conduct against children.”
Attorneys for NetChoice, which brought the lawsuit, have pledged
to continue their court challenge, arguing the law threatens
privacy rights and unconstitutionally restricts the free
expression of users of all ages.
The industry group, which has filed similar lawsuits in
Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Utah, 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.
In a written statement, Paul Taske, co-director of the NetChoice
Litigation Center, said the group is “very disappointed” in the
decision to let Mississippi's law go into effect and is
“considering all available options.”
“NetChoice will continue to fight against this egregious
infringement on access to fully protected speech online," Taske
said. "Parents — not the government — should determine what is
right for their families.”
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Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for
America Statehouse News Initiative.
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