Judge Blocks Louisiana's Social Media Age Verification Law
TL;DR
A judge has blocked a Louisiana law that required social media platforms to verify the ages of their users.
Judge Blocks Louisiana's Social Media Age Verification Law
A judge has blocked a Louisiana law that required social media platforms to verify the ages of their users. The legislation, known as Secure Online Child Interaction and Age Limitation, was passed in 2023 and required companies like Meta, Reddit, Snap, YouTube, and Discord to implement age verification and parental control features.
The court ruling came just days before the law was set to take effect, which technically would have gone into force during the summer. Judge John W. deGravelles stated that the requirements for "age verification and parental consent" were "both excessive and inadequate," and also criticized the definition of "social media platform" as "nebulous."
This verdict was a victory for NetChoice, a lobbying group representing the tech industry that has challenged the increasing number of age verification laws around the world. The organization argued that the law was unconstitutional and posed a risk to safety and privacy.
In a statement after the ruling, NetChoice highlighted the "massive privacy risk" that the Louisiana law and similar ones would pose. Paul Taske, co-director of NetChoice's Litigation Center, stated that the law "would not only restrict free expression but would create a massive privacy risk for Louisianans, similar to what is seen in countries without the First Amendment, like the United Kingdom."
The Louisiana Attorney General's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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