Overview
- Georgia’s law would have required social media companies to verify user ages through “commercially reasonable” steps and mandate parental consent for individuals under 16.
- U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg ruled the measure infringes First Amendment protections by chilling anonymous speech and limiting the public’s ability to receive information.
- NetChoice led the lawsuit on behalf of Meta, Google, YouTube, Reddit, X and Pinterest, arguing parental oversight should govern minors’ online activity.
- Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has vowed to appeal the injunction to uphold what he calls “commonsense measures” designed to shield children from online harms.
- Comparable age verification and parental consent laws in at least eight other states have faced similar judicial setbacks on constitutional grounds.