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[POLITICS] · United States · 12 sources

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Part of situation: US state-level social media regulation for minors (2 clusters)

US Appeals Court allows Georgia and Florida to enforce social media laws for minors

social media regulation 11th Circuit Court of Appeals NetChoice child online safety First Amendment

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has issued rulings allowing both Georgia and Florida to enforce state laws designed to restrict social media access for children and adolescents.

In Georgia, the court voided a preliminary injunction that had blocked the Protecting Georgia’s Children on Social Media Act. The law requires social media companies to make reasonable efforts to verify user ages and mandates parental consent for users under 16 to open accounts. It also restricts advertising to minors based on personal data. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr defended the measure as a necessary tool to protect children from online predators and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

Similarly, the appeals court ruled that Florida can enforce its law, which bans social media accounts for children under 14 and requires parental consent for those aged 14 and 15. The court's 3-0 opinion stated that while the law implicates the First Amendment, it likely does so in a content-neutral manner and serves the important interest of protecting minors from social media addiction.

Industry trade groups, including NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association, have challenged these laws, arguing they violate free speech rights. NetChoice expressed disappointment, noting that such mandates could force platforms to collect sensitive digital identification data from users.

Entities

11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals · Chris Carr · Computer & Communications Industry Association · Florida · Georgia · NetChoice · Ron DeSantis

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Sources

Court lifts block on Georgia law that restricts children’s access to social media [moultrieobserver.com]
Florida wins key ruling allowing it to enforce social media law targeting young teens [offthepress.com]
Court lifts block on Georgia law that restricts children’s access to social media | [capitol-beat.org]
Florida wins key ruling on social media ban for young children | Jacksonville Today [jaxtoday.org]
Florida wins key ruling allowing it to enforce a law that targets social media use by kids [mymotherlode.com]
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Florida’s Social Media Law [tallahasseereports.com]
Florida Wins Key Ruling Allowing It To Enforce A Law That Targets Social Media Use By Kids [vinnews.com]
Federal court upholds Georgia's social media verification law [justthenews.com]
Florida can now enforce social media ban for under-14s [www.newsbytesapp.com]
محكمة أمريكية تجيز لفلوريدا حظر منصات التواصل الاجتماعي... [royanews.tv]
Florida Wins Key Ruling Allowing it to Enforce Law on Social Media Use by Kids [www.insurancejournal.com]
Eleventh Circuit Rejects Netchoice's Challenge to Georgia Law Restricting Under-16-Year-Old Social Media Access [reason.com]